All But One
by Sael
Summary: Tragic disappearances have been reported concerning members of AVALANCHE. But when Tifa and the remaining heroes reunite, they soon discover that the abductions are merely the beginning of something much greater. Nominated for the Genesis Awards.
1. Similar Circumstances

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters of Final Fantasy VII.

**A/N:** The story takes place two years after the events of Advent Children. Also, I am ashamed to say that I have never had the chance to play Dirge of Cerberus, thus the story will ignore the canonical events that take place in DoC.

**All But One**

"_Life without emotions is like an engine without fuel."_

_-Mary Astor_

**Similar Circumstances**

"_Here you go, sir."_

"_Yeah, uh…thanks."_

_Cloud handed the man a light rectangular package, which was about a foot in length. He reached in his bag for the clipboard and took out a black pen from his pocket._

"_If you'll just sign here."_

"_Sure," the man said, taking the form and signing it one swift motion. He handed it back. _

"_So how much is this again?"_

"_70 gil, sir." _

"_Ah, right." The man searched in his pocket, his eyes still gazing down on the small package. _

"_Hey, um…listen. You mind opening that box for me?"_

"_Sorry?" Cloud tucked the clipboard back into his bag. _

"_Can you open my package?"_

_Cloud gave him a strange look, but shrugged and said, "Of course."_

_He knelt down, picking at the corner of the tape with his fingernail. _

"_Busy week, huh?" the man asked. _

_Cloud sighed. He opened the box and handed it to the man. "Sure is. I have to head over to Kalm tonight and—"_

_Clank! Cloud had ducked just in time, barely dodging the metal bar that swung at him from behind as it collided with the door. He quickly thrust his elbow back, slamming it into the stranger's stomach. He heard a growl, but dodged to the left as the man with the box swung his fist into the air. Cloud saw four more men approach from the street. Ducking low, he missed another punch, and kicked his leg back meeting the second man in the jaw. Cloud grabbed the railing with one hand and leapt off the balcony, landing feet flat on the pavement below. One of the four new men swung a metal bar at him, but missed, only to feel Cloud's elbow crash into his shoulder. Cloud took a blow to his jaw, but shoved the man off, adding a swift kick to his chest. He made a run for it, sprinting towards Fenrir. Bang! Bang! The gunshots had missed him. Cloud realized the package from before had a gun inside. Well I'll be damned, he thought, leaping onto his motorcycle. He turned the key to start the engine…but it wasn't working! The hell?! The men were closing in, three of them wielding thick metal clubs. Another gunshot. Cloud shifted his weight to the right, hearing the bullet whirl past him.°_

"_Shit!" he hissed. They had tampered with his bike while he was delivering the package. Cloud jumped off, backing up slowly as his enemies approached, each with a grin on his face. What the hell's going on?_

_He saw a shadow from behind._

_He ducked low to see a knife swing through his hair. He swiped his leg across the ground, tripping the man. Cloud cursed, seeing seven more men approach from the right. _

"_It's over! Give it up!" the man with the gun yelled._

_Cloud glanced over at Fenrir. Damn, he'd left his swords at the bar. _

_He dodged another punch. This wasn't going well. There were too many of them, and on top of that, he was unarmed. But something caught his attention. There was a strange glow to the gun man's forearm; it was emitting a green light. These bastards have materia?! Cloud's thoughts were interrupted as he felt a hard blow to his calf, sending him crashing to the ground. He tried to get up, but six men were now on top of him, wrestling him down and placing a thick sack over his head. The last thing he felt was a sharp pain to his head._

_After that, there was darkness…_

-xXx-

When it rains in Edge, the people are quick to run indoors, trying at all costs to avoid being caught in the downpour. Black puddles would form in the small dips in the streets, and when the rain was gone, the walls of the buildings were stained with a dark coating. Coal and oil were the primary resources after the fall of Shinra, and without the Mako Reactors sucking life from the planet, the people assumed all was well. However, pollution was now the major issue. Even the rain would drop down like globs of black paint, and high pillars of dark smoke concealed the once blue skies above.

Only three people could be seen standing on the streets of Edge while the storm raged on. Their once pale skins were now oozing with a black slime, and it was fortunate that these people already sported dark hair, or they would have received a natural hair dye.

"God, they're late! How much longer do we have to wait?" Yuffie Kisaragi hissed, though she could barely make out her own voice as the rain rattled against the ground.

"They said they'd be here," Vincent said blankly. His shoulders were now groaning against the added weight of the drenched cloak. He stood, leaning against a steel post, allowing the thick rain to shower over his sopping form. He had his eyes on Tifa, who hadn't spoken much the whole week. He couldn't blame her.

"Well, I can't stand much more of this sick rain!" Yuffie yelled, shaking her head violently to spray off some of the grime from her hair. She reached up and removed her bandanna, squeezing it with both hands to release more black water. "Hey Vince, did you ever get in touch with Barret?"

"No," he said. After Cloud's disappearance four weeks ago, Tifa had asked Yuffie to come to the city and help her search for him. Vincent showed up a few days later, but they couldn't get in contact with Barret. Shera was eight months pregnant, so they decided that Cid was best left alone, and Nanaki was always impossible to reach.

"God, this is so messed up! Where the hell could he be?" Yuffie mumbled to herself.

Tifa shifted her weight, her gaze still focused on the large puddle at her feet. The rain shot into it like needles, and it reminded Tifa of her special soup, how it boiled violently just before she served it at dinner. The three remained silent for a while, waiting as the storm continued to rage down from the gray sky. It was not long until they heard the distant roar of an engine approaching. A black vehicle turned from the corner, speeding past the stop signs and finally reaching a halt next to them. Vincent recognized it as the Class C Shinra Model, a car possessed only by the company's top employees. Yuffie rolled her eyes as the four Turks stepped out, each opening an umbrella to shield their suits from the rain.

"It's about time you showed up!"

"Our apologies," Tseng responded calmly. Reno, Rude and Elena lined up at his side, each wearing an uneasy expression.

"So what was it you wanted to discuss?" Vincent asked.

Tseng glanced at the three drenched figures and nodded. "I'll get straight to the point. We heard about Cloud Strife's disappearance last week. It was a disturbing realization in that we've had a loss of our own. The president was abducted four weeks ago and his whereabouts remain unknown to us. He was obviously taken during the night time, when he could be confronted alone."

"Rufus is gone, too?" Yuffie snapped.

"Yes. And our sources indicate that your friend…Barret Wallace…has also been reported missing. The drilling station informed us last week."

Tifa clenched her fists.

"Considering we are all under similar circumstances, I thought it would be best to cooperate in the investigation of these disappearances. If you help us find the president, we will be at your side until Cloud and Barret have been found."

There was a long silence aside from the rain that continued pouring down. Tifa was the next to speak.

"Do you have any leads on where to search?"

"Midgar is our next destination."

"Midgar? Why?"

"Rumor has it that there are people still living in Midgar. Perhaps they can provide information on the disappearances."

Yuffie stepped up. "Why would people live in that ruined city?"

"Precisely why we want to check it out. Midgar is the perfect place to hide. No one would suspect anyone to live there any more."

"When do we start?" Vincent asked.

Tseng smiled. "We can start immediately…after we get you three dried up."

-xXx-

Midgar. The once proud capital of Shinra's power was now a forgotten wasteland.

Vincent thought it was best to split up, and that the teams should be made up from the different parties, so they had divided into three groups. He and Elena headed off towards Sector Four. Tifa and Tseng took Sector Two, and that left Yuffie with Reno and Rude.

"Dammit, why do we get stuck with the kid?"

"Who the hell are you callin' a kid? Let's not forget who got their asses kicked last time we met!"

Reno grinned. "If I remember correctly, it was Tifa who was doing most of the ass-kicking. You must be getting yourself confused with 'ass-_wiping.'" _

"I'll wipe your ass with this shuriken!"

Rude sighed. That Valentine guy must've been out of his mind, putting Reno and Yuffie in the same group.

They made their way past the first cluster of houses without much trouble, but Yuffie and Reno were loud enough to wake the dead. Rude couldn't help but feel sorry for himself.

"You're so ugly, you went into the Ghost Square and came out with an application!"

"You're so ugly, you make blind kids cry!"

"You're so ugly, your doctor is a vet!"

"You're so ugly, your mate won't have to worry about birth control…your face will do just fine!"

_Damn,_ Yuffie thought. _I'm losing!_

"Oh yeah? Well, you're so ugly, they put tinted windows on your incubator!"

Even Rude grinned at that one. Reno scowled; he was running out of comebacks.

"You're so ugly, the doctor took one look at you and slapped your parents!"

Yuffie laughed. "At least my parents didn't get slapped by _Hojo!"_

"Damn," Rude said. "That was rough."

Yuffie raised her head up victoriously. Even Cid and Barret were afraid to compete with her. Reno glared at the grin on Rude's face, but he felt his own mouth twitch as well. _This girl's not bad,_ he thought, as they made their way past the heaps of ruin in Sector Three.

-xXx-

"Need a hand with that?" Elena asked, watching from below as Vincent heaved a large boulder from a cracked roof. Vincent remained silent, digging deeper into the mound of rocks.

"What are you looking for, anyway?"

"I think there's something under there."

"Like what?"

"I see materia."

Elena's eyes widened. Why would there be materia in a place like this?

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"But…why would there be materia here?"

"I don't know."

Vincent extended the full length of his arm into the small opening he made, reaching inside for the small sphere. His fingers kept rolling off.

"I can't reach it," he said.

"Why don't you try using those claws of yours?"

Vincent just stared at the young Turk for a while, but decided she was right. He shifted his weight and reached in with his left arm. The materia slipped into his grasp, and he pulled it out, examining the yellow ball closely.

"What is it?" Elena asked.

"I can't tell. It seems…young…new…"

"What?"

Vincent hopped back down to the ground, handing the materia to the blonde woman.

"This materia…" he said. "I think it was formed during Meteorfall."

-xXx-

The stench of rotting food reeked in the air. The house was empty and quiet, but there was something strange about this place. Tifa searched the living room, but found nothing important. _That's weird,_ she thought. The clothes hanging from the rack were still damp. And the food in the kitchen had just begun to rot.

"What about those kids that live with you?" Tseng asked, busily searching through a bookshelf.

"I left them with Elmyra."

Tseng paused, memories of his visits to Elmyra and Aerith's house flashing in his mind.

"I see."

Tifa saw a small piece of paper lying on the tabletop. She picked it up, a puzzled look forming as she read the note.

_He's at the meeting place now. _

_We're going to go find some more materia. _

_Wait for us at the meeting place. _

_They'll be coming soon._

"Tifa," Tseng called. "Come here, I think you should check this out."

Tifa slipped the note into her pocket, still unsure of what it meant. She walked down the hall, entering the second room to the left. She saw Tseng staring down at the baby's crib, a troubled look on his face. He pointed down at the small bed, signaling for her to look.

Tifa's eyes widened. There were photos scattered all over the crib.

Photos of her, Cloud, and Barret.


	2. Of Photos and Materia

**A/N:** The texts written in _italics_ can be identified as flashbacks.

**All But One**

**Of Photos and Materia**

_It was raining. It wasn't like the black grime that fell from the sky these days, but normal, drizzling rain. She was running home from the grocery shopping she'd just finished, but she hadn't been expecting the sudden rain. She grasped the paper bags tightly in each hand and darted through the streets, carving a path through the crowded sidewalk and trying hard not to slip from the wet pavement. The grocery store was too far from the bar. She'd usually just take her time and enjoy the walk, but the rain had ruined such possibilities. She accidentally rammed into an aged man, and dropped one of her grocery bags. _

"_Goodness! Watch where you're going, girl!" he yelled, stomping off. She lowered her head apologetically, and reached down for the bag when she saw another hand grab it. She looked up to see Cloud._

"_Need a hand with these?" he asked, taking the bags from her hand and opening an umbrella to shield her from the downpour. She smiled._

"_Thanks Cloud."_

-xXx-

Tifa remained frozen, her ruby eyes just gazing down at the photos scattered across the bed. Her mind was disoriented, her thoughts scrambled and confused. She was staring at pictures of herself as well as Cloud and Barret; they were all taken in the bar, capturing daily scenes that went on around the busy pub. There were photos of Tifa washing dishes, serving drinks, giggling with the patrons, as well as stealing a glance at the preoccupied Cloud. Others showed Cloud walking in from his deliveries, idly slouching over the couch, or just enjoying a chat with Tifa. But the ones that tickled Tifa's mind were those of Barret; he hadn't been in the bar in two years.

"I'm guessing it's safe to say that our targets once occupied this house," Tseng said, breaking the silence of the dark children's room. Tifa remained quiet, as she was too busy organizing thoughts in her mind. She held up a photo of Barret, examining it carefully. He was situated near one of the wooden tables, grasping a glass of wine and grinning happily at the patron he was seated with.

"Tell me what's on your mind," Tseng said again.

"These pictures…" Tifa began to dig through the pile, as if she was searching for one in particular.

"They were all taken two years ago…" Tifa stopped. She had found it. Her eyes widened, and she felt a shiver go up her spine as she held the photo up to her view. It was the picture they had taken as a group after the Bahamut attack in Edge two years ago. It showed Yuffie kneeling on the left, smiling brightly; Cid waving behind her and Vincent next to him, emotionless. Nanaki was grinning on the bottom right, and Marlene and Denzel were smiling in the center; Marlene was holding Cait Sith.

But the thing that bothered Tifa was the fact that she, Cloud and Barret had been circled on the photo.

"You've seen that picture before?" Tseng asked with a puzzled look.

Tifa realized her hand was shaking, and dropped the photo back onto the pile. "We took that picture two years ago…after all the fighting in Edge."

Tseng remained silent.

"The man who took this picture…" Tifa started, her hands still trembling. "I think he's the one who has Cloud."

-xXx-

Elena wiped the sweat from her forehead, twisting the cap off her water bottle and guzzling it down quickly. She and Vincent had uncovered eight more materia from the ruined site, and she was exhausted. Her favorite suit jacket was now stained with dust, and the tips of her fingernails were cracked and dull.

"Let's take a breather," she sighed, sitting down on a large boulder.

Vincent glanced at her with a blank face, but nodded.

He knelt down next to the pile of materia that had found. Two of them emitted a yellow glow, three of them blue, one red, and two greens.

"Can you decipher their powers?" Elena asked, drinking more water.

Vincent shook his head. "Cloud is the materia expert. I just try them out to see what they do, but considering we don't even know where these materia came from, I think it would be wise to leave these alone."

Elena nodded, but she was still confused about something. "I was taught that materia is condensed from the Lifestream…but…doesn't that take a long time?"

"Yes."

Vincent picked up the red one, gazing it at suspiciously. "But think about the power of the Lifestream that gushed out during Meteorfall. It's possible that some of the Lifestream was rapidly compressed into new materia."

Elena nodded, "I see."

Vincent continued to study the red materia, as if there was something strange about it.

"Is something wrong?" Elena asked.

"No, it's nothing."

He returned to stand up, and glanced over at the blonde Turk. "We'd better get going."

"Right," she answered.

They gathered the materia and Elena had agreed to carry them in her arms, as they moved deeper into the wrecked vicinity of Sector Four.

-xXx-

"I don't understand why you guys are even looking for him. Like, shouldn't you be _happy_ that Rufus is gone?"

Rude grimaced. "He's our boss," he said plainly.

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Well believe it or not, your _boss_ happens to be a psycho who helped piss off the frikkin planet four years ago! On top of that, he's pretty much out of business now that Shinra's done for, and his name rhymes with doofus!"

Reno shrugged. "Once a Turk, always a Turk. Not all of us end up like Valentine. And plus, it ain't matter what the boss's intentions are. We stick with him no matter what happens."

Rude nodded.

"Whatever," Yuffie sighed. "I'm just hoping we'll hurry up and find Cloud so I can get the hell away from you." She was looking at Reno.

The trio had scavenged the toppled ruins of Sector Three, but had found nothing relevant to Cloud's disappearance. Other than that, they spent most of their time insulting each other's mothers as well as competing in two rounds of arm wrestling. Yuffie, refusing to lose, had used both hands to cheat every time she came close to defeat.

They walked in silence for a while, which was quite a surprise to Rude, who had been a helpless spectator to Yuffie and Reno's endless verbal wars since the start of their so-called "investigation."

Yuffie's shoulders were blistering from the leather straps that carried her enormous shuriken. However, she'd gotten used to such bothers long ago, so she ignored the itches. She was now twenty years old, and Cid often commented on how immature she was compared to Tifa when she was twenty. Yuffie mostly just spat back at him with a comeback, but this truth caused more hurt to her heart than most people knew. Nevertheless, Yuffie never showed her sensitivity in public, and she especially wouldn't allow this jerk Reno to see through her.

Most of the gang (Cloud and the others) always frowned upon her as "the kid," and never really acknowledged her skills as "the greatest ninja materia hunter in existence." Having helped save the world at only sixteen years in age, Yuffie was hungry for attention, but she rarely received any.

That's why she was determined to be the one who found Cloud.


	3. What's the Plan?

**All But One**

**What's the Plan?**

_The lights were always too dim. It was like this in nearly every building in Edge since Mako was no longer used as the primary energy source. Tifa scooted closer to the edge of the bed and held the book up against the weak lamp stand, straining her eyes to read the small fonts. Ever since she was a child, she picked up a habit of reading right before bedtime. It was a nice way to abandon stress for a while, and also to doze off into slumber. She pulled her blanket up, cuddling into the soft warmth of the thick sheets. Chapter seventeen of 'Love and Cheesecake' was getting good; the protagonist had just confessed his love to the girl next door, and he was trying to plan out a surprise birthday party for her. Tifa was never really big into romantic novels, but Yuffie had recommended this particular book, promising that she'd love it. The lamp began to flicker, emitting an annoying buzzing noise. Tifa gently tapped the light bulb, hoping it would click back to normal, but instead, it went out completely. Tifa sighed in the darkness, placing her book down on the side table and setting her head on the soft pillow. _

_She must have fallen asleep._

_When she opened her eyes, it was still pitch black, but she could hear a lot of thumping downstairs. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, silently stepping onto the floor and holding her arms out to search for the wall. Ah, there it is. She followed the wall slowly to the door, turning the knob ever so gently, being sure not to make any noise. _

_More thumps. Clunk, clunk, clunk, WHAM! Tifa jumped, startled. She heard a voice curse downstairs. It sounded like Cloud. _

_She edged her way down the stairs, and grimaced when one of the wooden steps creaked under her weight. The lights were on down in the bar, and she sidled against the wall, making sure she wouldn't be seen. _

_Cloud was heaving a giant glass container that looked as if it was filled with water. Tifa stared with puzzled eyes. She slowly sneaked down and made her way to the couch, hiding behind its shadow. Cloud grabbed the container at opposite ends and grunted loudly as he lifted it up onto the countertop. After successfully positioning the glass tank into place, he sighed, taking one last glance at it before heading upstairs. _

_Tifa crept up to the container slowly, and gasped when she saw the small fish that were swimming freely within. It was a fish tank; Tifa had been in love with the ocean ever since her childhood. She remembered the conversation she had with Cloud when they first began to settle down in Edge. He'd asked her what she would wish for if she could have anything in the world. She told him she wanted to live near the ocean. _

_There was a small tag hanging loosely from the corner of the tank. Tifa smiled as she read the note inside._

"_To: Tifa_

_From: Cloud_

_Couldn't get you the ocean, _

_But I hope this'll suffice._

_Happy Birthday, Tifa!"_

-xXx-

Black leather gloves, steel-rimmed high-top boots with thick brown laces, and the metal elbow pad, cushioned on the inside with a soft padding, but barbed with steel spikes on the outside; this was the combat equipment she had used during the endless fights she and her companions once faced. They had been left in her closet, thrown into the back corner where they could be forgotten, but now, four years later, she had brought them with her to the ruins of Midgar. She knew there would be fighting.

And she couldn't help but pity the fools she'd be up against.

Tifa, Tseng and the others had all gathered again in the old Wall Market. The once lively city square was now abandoned and dull, a ghostly silence filling the atmosphere and the stores wrecked and forgotten. They were situated near Don Corneo's empty mansion, where Tifa had first met Aerith Gainsborough. She leaned against the wall, her mind clouded with old memories as the rest of the team discussed the situation.

"None of this makes sense!" Yuffie yelled. She was seated on the floor, her arms securely wrapped around the materia Vincent and Elena had excavated. She was still bitter towards Vincent after he forbade her from using them.

"I mean…what's up with that note Tifa found in the house? It freaks me out!"

Reno nodded. "That note makes it seem like they knew we were coming. Didn't it say something like 'they'll be coming soon'? Maybe the 'they' is referring to us."

"Perhaps," Vincent said. "It's obvious that whoever occupied that house knew about the materia that was lying around Midgar."

"Yeah. It said 'we're going to find some more materia.' But what about those photos?" Elena asked, massaging her aching shoulders. "I don't get any of this!"

Tseng stepped forward, his face calm and emotionless. "Whoever took Cloud, Barret and the President, they're smart. According to Tifa, those pictures were taken more than two years ago."

Yuffie nodded. "We all took a group picture together at Tifa's bar."

"Indeed. And considering all those other pictures we found, it seems like our targets have been planning this out for quite a long time."

Tseng closed his eyes and rubbed his chin. "This is what I think. I'm going to guess that our target, Cloud's captor, is a man. Since the note was obviously addressed to someone he was expecting, we can guess that there's more than one of them. So here's what I've figured out so far: more than two years ago, a group of people decided that they wanted to capture Cloud, Barret, and Rufus for a reason we don't yet know. They lived in Midgar because they were too stubborn to move in to Edge. That's where they found this new materia. One of them began to visit Tifa's bar regularly, taking photographs of their wanted targets. Now I'm assuming he is the one who took the group picture, so that's when he figured out that Cloud had friends other than Tifa and Barret. This delayed their plan. They must've waited for the perfect moment to execute it. One day, they call Cloud, requesting a delivery, so he'd come to their location. They ambush him, and take him somewhere, probably Midgar. Sometime later, they plan out the perfect kidnap for Rufus and Barret as well. They expect Tifa and her friends to search for Cloud, and us Turks to search for Rufus."

Tseng paused, opening his eyes again and glancing at each of them, one by one.

"Let's hope that they never expected us to work together. It's our one advantage in this situation."

Vincent nodded. "That's true. They probably never guessed we'd team up with the Turks."

"God, this is so messed up!" Yuffie yelled.

Tifa strapped the elbow pad to her arm, adjusting it tightly so it wouldn't move around during a fight. She knelt down to tighten the laces on her boots. The brown color didn't go well with her black outfit, but it didn't really matter to her. The steel rims were meant to deal some heavy damage; that's all she cared about right now. She cracked her knuckles as she slowly returned to the rest of the group. Rude stared at her in awe. He was considered a hard hitter, but he'd experienced firsthand what this woman was capable of. It was a memory he didn't want to relive.

They all stood there for a while, most of them just clearing out the long explanation Tseng had told them, but Tifa was busy stretching, as if she was preparing for a battle.

Reno shrugged, tapping the metal rod against his shoulder. "So, chief?"

Tseng looked at him.

"What's the plan?"

-xXx-

A small white stub was flicked to the ground. It had been smoked to the filter. Cid spat to the side, stretching his arms out and taking in the cool breeze. He grinned. _Damn…can't believe I'm gonna have a kid._ His wife Shera was now eight months pregnant. They were expecting a boy.

He went back inside and saw that Shera was fixing lunch in the kitchen. A warm smell of freshly cooked food hung in the air, and Cid smiled. It was his favorite meal.

"You need to cut down on the working," he said, wrapping an arm around his wife. "You gotta relax more! I'll take care of the dishes, ya hear?"

Shera smiled, flipping the meat patty while it sizzled on the frying pan. "_Sure_ you will," she teased.

Cid gave her a mocking face and headed to the table. There were papers scattered all over the wooden surface, most of them just W.R.O. forms he needed to fill out for the recruitment program for the Air Force. He sat down and picked up the pen. One of the papers had a small note stapled to the corner. Cid grinned. It was from Reeve.

_Well, Captain, I heard about the news last week!_

_How could you not tell me you were having a child?_

_You're a real bastard for keeping such things secret!_

_Ha, I hope Shera remains healthy and in good shape. _

_Let me know when you have the baby, you hear?_

_P. S. Have you heard about Barret's sudden disappearance?_

_Tseng notified me about a week ago. He said_

_Barret hasn't been seen at the drilling station _

_for a month. I've already begun an investigation_

_on it. Tell me if you get in touch with him, okay?_

Cid rubbed his hand over his stubby chin, frowning. He hadn't heard anything about Barret or the others in a while, except for Yuffie who had made calls once a week since they last met in Edge two years ago. Shera told Tifa about her pregnancy a few months ago, but other than that, they'd been too busy to keep in touch. He turned and was about to tell Shera about the news when—

_BANG BANG BANG!_

Gunshots! Cid jumped up. _The hell was that?!_

He looked over at Shera, whose face had paled.

"Stay in the room!" he told her. "I'll go check it out."

She nodded and turned off the stove. Their lunch would have to wait for now.

"Be careful, Cid!" she said, then hurried off into the hallway.

Cid grabbed the long spear that was leaning against the corner of the living room, and cautiously approached the door.

_Bang Bang!_

They were coming from outside. He turned the knob and slammed the door open, glaring out to see what was happening. He saw a crowd of people running frantically, a chorus of frightful screams shrieking from their direction. One man had a gun in his hand, occasionally turning back to fire at whatever was chasing them. Cid dashed out, cursing under his breath. He gripped the shaft of his spear tightly, unsure of what to expect.

Cid strained his eyes to see a single man walking towards the frightened crowd. He was holding what looked like a thin sword. But he couldn't make out his face.

He ran into the crowd, cursing as he pushed and shoved his way through, being careful not to impale anyone with his spear. When the last line of people finally rushed past him, Cid glared at the man who'd been causing all this uproar. But when he stared into a familiar face, he froze, dropping the spear to the ground.

"Cloud?!"


	4. Descendant of the Shinobi

**All But One**

**Descendant of the Shinobi**

In the Wutai tongue, the word _shinobi _refers to one who is skilled in the art of stealth. Likewise, the word _ninja_ can be separated into two separate syllables to discover its underlying connotation; _nin-_ meaning "in silence" or "to do quietly," and _–ja_ meaning "thing" or "person." Hence, the term _ninjutsu _is defined as the "art of stealth" or the "skill of going unnoticed."

The members of the Investigative Division of the General Affairs Department of the ShinRa Electric Power Company, or simply the Turks, are also trained to specialize in covert operations, including espionage, kidnappings and assassinations. However, they are mere novices in the art of stealth when compared to the shinobi of Wutai.

Tseng knew this well.

Four hours had passed since they moved out of the Wall Market; they'd found nothing relevant to their investigation. Tseng proposed that it would be best to stick together, so they moved on to Sector Six as a group. The wreckage of Sector Six was quite a frightening sight for the seven-man team, as it had been completely laid to waste; not a single building or structure was found still standing. Steel pillars and frames from old edifices were scattered across the ground, and there were even cracked craters and bottomless pits that sunk deep into the soil from where the Lifestream once gushed in its clash against Meteor four years ago. Despite the painful sights of the forgotten vicinity, Tseng urged his teammates to rummage around the area and search for anything that might lead to their targets' hideout.

Tifa had found an empty gun near the remnants of the old general store. Vincent recognized it as a Walther P99, a semiautomatic pistol used mainly by ShinRa grunts for self-defense. They tossed it.

About half an hour later, Reno excavated a torn map, no, a blueprint to some kind of facility. Tseng eyed it suspiciously, as he couldn't familiarize himself with the building's layout. Whatever this building was, he'd never seen it before.

Rude and Yuffie found more materia, and Vincent reprimanded her when she tried to hide it from him.

The sky was darkening and nightfall was merely an hour away. Tseng knew he'd have to cease the search soon. But as these thoughts weakened his mind in frustration, he heard a loud shout from afar. He jerked his head to the west; it was Reno. He was waving his arms and jumping up and down, shouting at everyone to come.

Tseng and the others arrived to see something unexpected.

"What the hell is that?" Yuffie asked.

"Looks like a hatch," Vincent said.

A large metallic hatch, which measured about a meter in diameter, exposed out from underneath the ground, its steel surface burdened with rocks and stones and covered with deep scratches.

"What do you suppose it leads to?" Elena asked.

"The bastards who took the president!" Reno shouted.

Tifa knelt down, pulling off her black gloves and brushing her hand across the surface.

"During Meteorfall, I remember Reeve calling us and saying he would take as many people as he could to safety…" she looked up at them. "He said he'd take them to an underground hideout."

Tseng's eyes widened. "Is that so?"

Tifa nodded.

"So perhaps this is what he was talking about," he said.

Reno scowled, stomping his black shoes onto the metal hatch. "Who gives a damn _what_ it is! I'll bet my next paycheck that this is where they're hiding! The sons of bitches who took the boss!"

Vincent stepped forward, glaring at him. "Let's hope you're wrong because if it _is_ them, they probably just heard you slamming your foot against their door."

"Well are we gonna go in and check it out?" Elena asked.

Tseng shook his head. "We're not even sure if this is where they're hiding. One of us needs to go in there and look around, unnoticed. If they find out we're here, it'll probably mean we won't be seeing the president again…" he shifted his gaze to Tifa. "Or Cloud or Barret."

Vincent nodded. "I'll go."

"No," Tseng snapped. "Not you, Mr. Valentine."

Vincent stared back, a blank but cold expression hiding behind his collar. "You're volunteering, then?"

"No," Tseng answered.

"Then who? I trust you'll be wise enough to realize that your men aren't exactly fit for the job."

Reno and Elena grimaced.

"No. I have someone else in mind," Tseng said, his gaze slowly turning towards Yuffie.

"What?! Who?! ME?!" Yuffie shouted.

Even Vincent wasn't expecting this.

"The shinobi of Wutai are unmatched when it comes to stealth. Their movements are swifter than the wind, their presence unnoticed by even the keenest ears," Tseng said.

Reno suddenly burst out laughing. "HAHAHAHA! YUFFIE?! SILENT?! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

Tseng gave him a fierce glare, and the red-headed Turk eventually calmed down.

"Even the worst of Wutai are better than the best of the Turks. Yuffie's the only one that can do this without getting caught."

Yuffie couldn't help but enjoy the praise, but then again, was this guy out of his mind?! She had never been on a covert operation before, and even _she_ knew that her mouth lacked the ability to remain silent for more than five minutes. On top of that, there was no way in _hell_ she was going in that hatch alone!

Tifa walked up to her, gently patting her on the back and smiling. "Tseng's right. You're the only one who can do this, Yuffie."

"But—"

"I believe in you."

Yuffie paused.

When was the last time someone ever said that to her? When was the last time everyone depended on her to accomplish something? When was the last time a _Turk_ put her over Vincent?

_Hmm…maybe I can do this,_ she thought. _After all, I **am** the Great Materia Hunter Yuffie Kisaragi, the **best** ninja of Wutai! _She remembered how just a few hours ago, she'd been so eager to be the one who found Cloud. She wanted to prove to them that she was a hero, too. And plus, if she did this, she'd leave Reno feeling like the useless loser he is, while she was in there all alone, pretty much saving the world all over again.

"Okay, stand back!" she yelled. "Leave this to the Great Yuffie Kisa—"

"Yuffie," Vincent cut. "I pray that you remember what the definition of the word "stealth" means. My biggest fear of you going in there is that mouth of yours."

Reno and Elena giggled in the back, but Yuffie merely stuck her chin up. _I'll show these punks!_

Everyone huddled together around the blueprint Reno had uncovered earlier. Tseng studied it carefully. It seemed like a science facility of some kind, probably another one of Hojo's dark labs. Considering the funding ShinRa used to provide on Hojo's research, Tseng wouldn't be surprised if there were hatches like this one scattered all over Midgar. The hatch was the main entrance. It leads down to an underground compartment, which consists of three floors. The first level appeared like a lobby area. There were two halls that led into the lobby, one from each side. Stairs on the opposite end led down to the next two levels. Tseng saw that the second floor was merely a cafeteria. It was the third level that caught his eye—a science facility, separated into six different rooms. This would be a problem. Yuffie would have to check each room individually in order to locate Cloud, Barret and Rufus.

Tseng and Vincent guided her through the blueprint, advising her on the best accessible routes through the facility.

"If there are air vents, it would be best to use those. The stairs would be problematic in case someone's heading up or going down."

"Damn ShinRa, can't even install a frikkin' elevator," Yuffie joked.

"If someone does happen to see you, don't hesitate to deal with them before they sound an alarm or something," Vincent said.

"It's obvious that if they really have Cloud and the others in here, it'd be level three. It's gonna be tricky trying to check each individual room without getting caught, but I guess that's why we're sending _you_ down there," Tseng said, a slight smile on his face.

-xXx-

Yuffie dropped down to the floor, the impact of her feet against the ground making no sound at all. There was a long corridor from where she stood, and there was a faint light that shone from the room it led to. Yuffie edged her way down the hall, approaching the light slowly and cautiously, and being careful not to scrape her giant shuriken against the wall. When she reached the end of the corridor, she poked her head out from the corner to take a quick look at the lobby area. A large couch was located near the center of the room, a TV resting on a platform in the far corner. The walls were a plain white, the floor tiled and clean. There was a plant resting near the couch, two vending machines placed at the far wall. Yuffie sighed. No people.

Nevertheless, she'd have to be cautious.

Yuffie took a deep breath, and pushed against the floor with all her might, springing from the ground and flying across the room in a swift motion. She landed at the opposite side and continued down the next hallway. This one was bright with fluorescent lights; a major problem for someone who's trying to get through unseen.

Yuffie felt her heart stop when she heard footsteps ascending up the stairs. She jerked her head up to see an air vent, and quickly thrust herself up. The footsteps had reached her floor, and began to approach from the end of the hall. Yuffie strained her ears to listen to the voices.

"-what I heard, man! He's already in Rocket Town, I think."

"What the hell? Why don't we just kill the bastard?!"

"I think they wanna test out that new materia on him or something."

"What about the other two? That big guy and Shinra…"

"They're keepin' the big one here, but I heard Shinra's with the other one."

"What're they doin' in Rocket Town, anyways?"

"Think they're tryin' to get that big airship his friend has."

"But we already have a plane!"

"It's complicated, man. Anyways, I just need to go out and get some fresh air."

"Say, when do you think the bastard's friends are gonna show up?"

"They're prolly still lookin' for this place. Oh, did you hear about the…"

Yuffie couldn't make out any more of the conversation. _Damn,_ she thought. This was a problem. She somehow had to get those two from going up, or else the others would get caught. The only way she could think of was to stop 'em for good.

She slid down the air vent and landed gracefully on the floor. The idiots hadn't even noticed. She flung herself into the air, taking out two small kunai from her belt and throwing them at the unknowing fools. With a soft grunt, they collapsed onto the floor. Yuffie grinned. She'd nailed them right in the fatal points, killing them instantly.

After hiding the bodies in the dark corridor, she made her way back to the other hall, and decided to risk taking the stairs; she was not going to squeeze her way down some godforsaken air vents!

She grabbed the railing and leapt down to the next level, skipping the entire flight of stairs. There was the smell of freshly cooked food coming from the next room. _God, this sucks! I'm starving!_

Yuffie slowly sidled down the wall. A chorus of voices spoke out from the cafeteria, their tones joyful and lively. It sounded like they were having a celebration. Yuffie frowned. Her passage through this level was going to be complicated. Why did they put the stairs on opposite ends?!

She peeked out from the wall, and cursed under her breath when she counted more than twenty men seated on the tables of the dining hall. Yuffie looked around the area, searching for someway to sneak pass unnoticed. _Dammit. Maybe I **should've** taken the air vent._

Yuffie was tempted to just go out and kill all of them, but she figured that it would kind of defeat the purpose of her sneaking in here in the first place. _Okay, let's see, here. How does one make her way through a crowded dining area unnoticed? I wouldn't be able to just edge my way against the wall since the lights are so bright, and…wait. That's it! _

Over the course of centuries, the shinobi of Wutai learned to develop a firm bond with nature and the Lifestream. When the greatest of these warriors reach their peak in skill and knowledge, they are able to borrow the power of the Lifestream and use it to their will. In Wutai, it is an art known as _All-Creation._ Though Yuffie's mastery in this skill was far from complete, it would suffice for now.

Yuffie knelt down against the wall and shut her eyes. Her memory of this art was a little rusty since it'd been so long since she last used it, but all she needed was a little spark. Yuffie breathed deep, clearing her mind and commencing the meditation. She focused on the flow of the Lifestream, feeling its course as it surged through the planet. _Lifestream…lend me the power of all things created…_

Though it was incredibly weak and almost insulting, she felt an ounce of force enter her body, and focused it on the cafeteria lights. After a chorus of shattering, the entire floor went pitch black. _Haha! Make way for the Great Ninja Yuffie!_

"What the hell just happened?!"

"Who shut off the lights?!"

"Damn! I was just starting to relax, too!"

Yuffie smiled as she jolted pass the confused men, turning at the corner and heading through the exit that led to the next stairway. She managed to grab a loaf of bread from one of the plates, too, and was now munching happily as she made her way down the stairs.

Her mouth full and chewing, Yuffie cautiously entered the lowest level of the facility. All that was left for her to do was locate Barret. She had heard from the now-dead men on the first floor that Rufus and Cloud weren't here. But why were they in Rocket Town? And what's up with this "new materia" they were talking about?

Yuffie sidled against the wall, her giant shuriken now grasped in her left hand. The floor was empty, but she figured that people would be rushing down here soon since she completely obliterated the lights in their dining hall. There were six doors in this hall, three on the left, three on the right. Yuffie decided door number one would be her first target.

She turned the knob, and gasped when she looked in.

Barret was seated in a wooden chair, facing down. His left arm was glowing with different colors, and Yuffie knew it was from materia. But it was Barret's smile that sent shivers up her spine. He was wearing the most sinister smile she'd ever seen, and he slowly began to raise his gun-arm up towards her, but Yuffie was frozen stiff.


	5. The Blindsight Materia

**All But One**

**The Blindsight Materia**

_Edge Brewin' Coffee Shop. Their caramel macchiato was something Tifa needed to consider adding to her own menu. It was a beautiful Saturday morning, the stunning view of the entire Edge City skyline was especially lovely with the orange sun slowly rising over the horizon. Tifa sipped from her cup, gazing out the window from the thirty-second floor of the skyscraper. It was pretty ridiculous that the café was located on the top floor, but then again, the fresh scent of her macchiato and the gorgeous view was well worth it. _

"_I can't believe you don't like coffee," she said, tipping the cup over her lips. _

_Cloud shrugged. "Never had too much of it growing up." He was twirling his finger over the rising steam of his hot chocolate. _

"_Well, I think you'd like this. It's caramel…wanna try it?"_

_Cloud shook his head. "I'll stick with my cocoa."_

_Tifa giggled. _

"_So why'd you wanna come here if you don't even like coffee?" she asked, smiling. _

_Cloud shrugged again, still gazing down at his half-full cup. _

"_It's been a while since we spent some time together outside of the bar. Just thought this would be a nice place to chat."_

"_You've been here before?"_

_Cloud nodded. "They request a lot of deliveries."_

"_Oh…"_

_Tifa sipped again. "Denzel and Marlene start their break next week."_

"_Hmm. The year's gone by fast."_

"_Yeah, seriously."_

"_I can't believe it's already been four years," Cloud muttered, lifting his cup to his mouth. _

_Tifa glanced up at him. Was he thinking about **her** again? _

"_What's on your mind, Cloud?"_

"_Nothing. It's just…" he placed the cup down and met her eyes. "We've been living together for four years already. Time sure does fly, huh?"_

_Tifa smiled. "Yeah."_

"_Hey Tifa?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_This is kinda random, but it's something I've been thinking about for a long time…"_

_Tifa set her coffee down. "What is it?"_

_Cloud turned his gaze to the window, staring out into the vast metropolitan atmosphere. "Four years ago…remember when we all went to the Gold Saucer together?"_

"_Yeah, that was fun."_

_Cloud nodded. _

"_That night you and I spent together…"_

_Tifa giggled. "Don't think I still don't remember that play! **Alfred**!" she teased._

_Cloud smiled, but he hadn't finished. "When we were on the gondola…"_

_Tifa looked up, the memories flashing into her mind._

"_You were about to say something, but you never told me what it was."_

_This was a surprise. Cloud remembered that?! _

_It was true. Four years ago, she and Cloud had sneaked off together from the Ghost Square Hotel. She thought of it as their "first little date." _

"_Cloud, I…"_

"_I know it's sudden, but it's just something that's been bugging me for a while."_

"_I…" Tifa didn't know how to respond. Even though she and Cloud were now closer than ever, especially after the Geostigma Incident from two years ago, she had still never found the courage to express her feelings toward him. _

"_I'm not sure I remember what you're talking about." _

_Cloud frowned. _

"_Well I guess I'm gonna have to say this, then…" he said, his cheeks slowly reddening. _

"_The promise we made when we were young…I mean, not that we aren't young now, but—"_

"_Yeah, the promise. What about it?"_

_Cloud swallowed. "I promised you I'd be there for you, right?"_

_Tifa nodded. _

"_I want you to make that same promise for me."_

_Tifa's heart stopped. _

_Cloud got up from his seat, and knelt down, pulling out a small box from his pocket. _

"_Tifa Lockhart. Will you marry me?"_

-xXx-

Vincent's gaze was fixed on the opened hatch. Even though he wouldn't show it, he was worried about Yuffie being down there alone. The group was still situated near the hatch, and nightfall had just begun to cast its darkness over the ruins of Sector Six.

Elena was asleep, her head resting on the folded cushion of Rude's jacket. Over half an hour had gone by since Yuffie entered the facility, but still there was no sign of her or the people inside. Vincent was getting impatient. He stood up, walking towards the hatch.

"I'm going in. This was a foolish idea."

Tseng got up and grabbed Vincent's wrist. "Have faith in your friend, Mr. Valentine. She won't let us down."

Vincent glared coldly at the Turk. "It's not faith I lack, Tseng. It's the acceptance of knowing something's not right."

"How do you know that?"

"You know as well as I do that she wouldn't take this long to contact us."

Vincent shook off Tseng's grasp, and approached the entrance to the darkness.

"I'm coming with you," Tifa said, brushing off the dust from her clothes.

"No."

Tifa glared at the cloaked man, her ruby eyes meeting his crimson ones. "Yes I am."

"Tifa, there's a strong possibility that I'm walking into an ambush. Yuffie's taking too long, and I want to know why. I can't allow you to come with me."

Tifa shoved past him, swinging her weight once before dropping down to the darkness below. Vincent sighed.

"I trust you'll stay here?" he asked, looking at Tseng.

Tseng smiled. "Someone's gotta stay behind to tell Cloud and Barret how their friends died."

Vincent grinned before descending into the abyss.

-xXx-

_RATTATTATTA! _The earsplitting roar of machine gunfire rattled through the walls of the lowest level, its heavy beating resembling the sound of a typewriter. Yuffie flipped herself back, somersaulting her way down the hall as Barret's gunfire flew past her agile body. She flung herself into the nearest door, darting past the lab tables and computers that were lined up. Barret chased after her frantically, his bullets shattering the flasks and glass containers, but unable to keep up with the swift shinobi. Yuffie whipped out three small shuriken in the direction of the enraged Barret, controlling her aim so that they would miss him, but buy her enough time to run away. Barret hissed as the ninja stars flew by, and let out a roar, unleashing another storm of bullets. Yuffie twirled in the air and dropped down behind a lab table, crawling her way through the room as the glass rained down onto her body. A large shard ripped through her shoulder, forcing her to grimace as blood began to trickle down.Yuffie knew that the cause of Barret's madness was the materia he was using, but right now, she had no time to think. A torrent of speeding bullets chased after her as she crisscrossed her way back to the door, slamming it shut behind her. She was now sprinting full speed back down the hall, but she felt her heart skip when four men appeared around the corner.

"What the hell?! It's them! They're here!"

The man raised his arm up, a blazing heat radiating from its length as a massive ball of fire flew through the air towards Yuffie. For the first time in her life, she was absolutely despising the existence of materia. Yuffie dodged it easily and flung her giant shuriken at the man, splitting his shoulder as it came soaring back to her grasp. The other men were now running towards her, each of their arms glowing brightly with materia. Yuffie remained still, waiting for them to get just a little closer before—

_RATTATTATTA!_

Yuffie dropped to the floor as Barret's bullets ripped through the startled men, killing them instantly. She hopped back up, running for her life as the enraged gunman chased after her with a yell. The injured man from earlier tried to shoot another blast of fire at her, but missed, and the last thing he ever saw was her enormous shuriken flying straight into his chest.

More men came sprinting down the stairs. Yuffie cursed, seeing no way to dodge them, but she knew she would much rather face a group of materia-wielding men, than a pissed off Barret. Yuffie pushed against the ground, soaring up the first flight of stairs to meet the eight men who were running down. She dropped low, swiping her leg and tripping the first man, but immediately thrust her fist forward into the next man's gut.

"Get her!"

She rammed her elbow against another jaw, and whipped her shuriken across the air, felling two men instantly. _Smack! _Yuffie grimaced, she hadn't seen the blow to her back. In retaliation, she grabbed the man's wrist and tugged forward, flipping him down the length of the stairs. She blocked another kick, but took a blow to her jaw, sending her crashing into the wall. Yuffie's eyes widened. Barret was closing in now, which definitely wasn't a good thing. She dodged a punch, and stabbed the man's back with her shuriken, hearing him grunt in shock. The blood was now seeping down from Yuffie's shoulder, and the fact that she was surrounded by these men wasn't helping.

"RRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" _RATTATTATTA!_

Barret let out another burst of bullets, but only succeeded in taking down another man. Yuffie rolled past the frightened men and flew up to the top of the stairs. She heard the sound of the typewriter rattling below her, but she had already made it to the next floor. Yuffie blinked. The hallway was lit. _Didn't I take out the lights a while ago?_

Her thoughts were interrupted by another roar, followed by more machine gunfire. Yuffie sprang through the corridor, too scared to look back. _RATTATTATTA!_ She hissed as a bullet ripped through her right arm, but managed to hold on to her shuriken. _God, I'm gonna **kill** Barret once this is all over! _Biting her lip against the pain, she ran past the corner, only to find herself surrounded once again by materia men. The bulbs were still shattered at the ceilings, but the emergency lights had been turned on at the corners.

"Kill that girl!"

Yuffie dove to her left, barely missing the bolt of fire that obliterated the wall. She hissed, the bullet wound still burning in her shoulder. Eighteen, maybe twenty men were crowded around, slowly approaching her with grins on their faces. Yuffie swung her shuriken as hard as her wounded arm would allow, but it was easily deflected by the nearest enemy.

"Damn!" she cursed. It was over. There was no way out of this one. Barret would be stomping his ass up the stairs now, and even before he arrived, she'd probably be burnt to crisps by these bastards.

But she had to fight on.

She dodged the first strike easily, ducking low as the fist thrust into the wall behind her. She rammed her good shoulder into the man, sending him crashing back toward his friends. Yuffie caught a glimpse of the knife flying at her from the corner of her eye, tilting her head back as the blade whirled past. She flipped to the side, balancing her weight on one arm and swinging both legs at the man In front of her, but he blocked, and sent his fist crashing down to her stomach. Yuffie grunted, shoving the man off, and clutching her stomach tightly. She was losing.

_RATTATTATTA!_

Yuffie cursed, rolling to the right as the floor tore up behind her. She kicked off against the wall and spun through the air, the bullets zooming past only inches away. She landed feet flat, but lost her balance as a swift kick from below tripped her, sending her to the floor. She saw the man above her smirking as he gripped the knife. _Dammit!_ She couldn't dodge in time, the man thrust forward, and Yuffie let out a cry…

…but she felt nothing.

She opened her eyes, gaping as the man was sent flying to the wall. An enormous creature, covered in bluish-purple fur and dripping saliva from its inch-long fangs, towered above her, sending its massive paw into the face of another enemy.

"Vincent!" Yuffie yelled, her eyes almost brimming with tears. "It's about time you showed up!"

The Galian beast merely let out a grunt before it threw its weight at the frightened crowd of men. Yuffie felt a hand press against her good shoulder, and turned to see another familiar face.

"Tifa?"

"Let's get out of here, Yuffie!"

"No, wait! Barret's here!"

Tifa's eyes widened. "Where?"

"He's not himself, Tifa! I think they put some kind of materia in him! He almost _killed_ me!"

_RATTATTATTA!_ Yuffie grimaced as the behemoth let out a painful roar, patches of red oozing from its fur.

"NO! VINCENT!" Yuffie screamed.

Tifa was quick to react. She flew across the room, smashing her fist into an unsuspecting man and sending his unconscious self to the floor. Barret quickly turned his gun-arm to her, his face still wearing a maniacal smile. He let out a roar of bullets, but Tifa had already jumped into the air, flipping over him and landing behind. Before Barret could turn to continue firing, Tifa had him in a powerful headlock, her free hand tightly gripping the gun attached to his arm.

"Yuffie!" she yelled, but the ninja had already begun tugging on his other arm, forcing the materia out one by one. Barret screamed violently, the machine gunfire puncturing holes all over the ceiling. Yuffie forced out the last materia, gasping at its blood-red color. With a last groan, Barret lost his consciousness and went limp, his body gently placed on the floor by Tifa.

Yuffie quickly ran over to her fallen comrade, who had now returned to his human form. A line of blood drooled down the corner of Vincent's mouth, his slightly opened eyes staring blankly at Yuffie.

He remained silent, but he was in great pain, grimacing at the sudden burns that tore at his chest. Yuffie held him tightly in her arms, her cheeks already soaking with tears.

Tifa grabbed one of the fallen men by the collar. "What did you do to Barret?!"

He coughed, groaning painfully at his wounds.

"Answer me!"

He groaned, squinting his eyes at the woman above him. "The……Blind…sight……materi…" his body went limp.

Tifa cursed, returning to her feet. She looked around the remnants of the dining hall. Blood was spattered all over the western wall, the ceiling crumbled up by Barret's gunfire. Bodies were piled up here and there, Yuffie was still clutching Vincent in her arms, and Barret lay unconscious next to her.

"Yuffie," she said, trying to sound as calm as she could. "What about Cloud and Rufus?"

Yuffie turned, revealing tearful eyes. "The-they…sniff…they aren't here…sniff sniff…"

Tifa clenched her fists, feeling the adrenaline pump through her veins. It was an anger she hadn't felt since Sephiroth had killed her father. Whoever did this to Barret…wherever they were…

…whoever took Cloud…whoever was responsible for all of this…

…she was going to make them pay.


	6. A Grudge Unforgotten

**All But One**

**A Grudge Unforgotten**

Two fingertips were brushed across the smooth cold steel of the katana, tracing over the engravings that were marked into the blade collar just above the hilt. The inscriptions were written in the old Wutai script, an alphabet he had learned during his enrollment in ShinRa's military academy. They read _giya haraemi, _and though he could decipher the syllables, he had no idea what meanings they possessed. The blade was a curved, singled-edged katana, obviously crafted by the skilled hands of an old Wutai blacksmith. There was a strange familiarity about the sword, though he had never wielded it prior to his current circumstances.

Cloud Strife shifted his gaze from the Wutainese blade, and peered over at the unconscious man who was slumped against the wall. His wrists and ankles were bound by metal shackles, and his slick blonde hair was slightly reddened by small specs of trickling blood. Cloud's mind registered a name for this man. He was Cid Highwind, a mechanical genius and a lover of flight, his speech was often plagued by unnecessary use of profanity, and he was a longtime addict of smoking. Though his memories produced feelings of companionship and friendliness towards the man, Cloud was no longer able to decipher the meanings of such emotions, and Cid Highwind was nothing more than the unconscious form he appeared as. Cloud was waiting for the man to awaken in order to inject the Blindsight materia into him, however, he estimated that he would not regain consciousness for at least another hour or two.

Six hours ago, he had easily overpowered him in a duel; Cid had shown reluctance in fighting him, which in the end had only betrayed him to his own defeat at Cloud's hands.

Cloud returned his attention to the blade, still unsure at why it affected his mind. It was like a form of déjà vu; though he had never used it prior to his battle with Cid Highwind, it felt as if he shared a forgotten history with the strange sword. _Giya haraemi_, the engravings read. Cloud could only stare down and ponder at the meaning of those syllables.

-xXx-

_It was embarrassing. _

_It was embarrassing to even show himself in this town. He did not desire to return here, and yet, fate tended to show its sense of humor through such circumstances. _

"_What's the matter?" _

_Cloud looked up, the blue eyes of an inexperienced youth meeting the sharp silver gaze of a true warrior. Sephiroth…the man he dreamt of becoming…stared at him from across the room. His presence here only worsened the embarrassment—the agony—of having to return home._

"_Nothing," Cloud said, returning his gaze to the scenery beyond the window. _

"_You're a terrible liar, Cloud."_

_The young grunt turned, staring at the legendary hero that sat across from him. Sephiroth was a man of war, his sword permanently stained by the blood of his victims, and his mind scarred by the screams of the thousands that he had felled, and yet, his eyes emitted such a gentle tranquility, a gaze similar to one that a father would place upon his child. _

"_Do you want to talk about what's troubling you?" he asked._

_Cloud shifted on the bed, his weight dipping down on the soft mattress and spreading tiny wrinkles over the white sheets. "It's nothing," he muttered. _

_Sephiroth laughed gently, rising to his feet and walking towards the windowsill. "Let me tell you something. When I was about your age, I was educated by my senior officers in the military. They'd tell me to shit out my emotions, and that soldiers are meant to be unfeeling shells that thrive off the death of their enemies. They said that emotions are what caused the war, and that tensions such as hatred, anger and malice are what rise from the human's ability to feel."_

_Sephiroth placed his hand on the window, his gentle face now bearing a smile. "They were wrong, Cloud. Emotions are what make us human. It's true that our flaws may produce turmoil and suffering, but they also allow us to share friendship and love with one another."_

_He paused, slightly embarrassed at where his speech was going._

"_What I'm trying to say is…"_

_The general turned, placing his hand on Cloud's shoulder. _

"_Don't try to hide your emotions from your friends. They're the only ones that may be able to save you."_

-xXx-

A knock on the door.

Cloud shifted in his chair, peering over his shoulder. "Come in," he said.

The knob turned, and a short man revealed himself from the entrance, his expression suggesting a sense of worry.

"The boss says he wants to see you," he said in a rasp voice.

Cloud nodded, and the man left, leaving him to his solitude and silence. He slipped the katana back into the wooden scabbard, and placed it on the table. When he was halfway across the room, a thought occurred in his mind, causing him to look down at the unconscious Cid Highwind, then back to the sheathed blade on the table. Perhaps it would be best to take the sword with him.

-xXx-

_His gray hair and wrinkled eyes suggested he was well into his years, though his unmatched skills as a martial artist denied the limitations that came with age. He called himself Zangan, a name Cloud had failed to acquaint himself with before, but according to Zack Fair and Sephiroth, he was a renowned fighter, one who has mastered the art of physical combat and designed his own techniques, which he called the Zangan style. He mentioned that he was a wandering teacher, and that he had a total of 128 pupils scattered all across the globe. _

_Zack ripped a chunk of meat from the chicken leg, chomping viciously like a lion that had been starved for months. _

"_So gramps," he said, his mouth full, "what brings you to Nibelheim?"_

_Zangan winced at the word "gramps," but he disregarded the rudeness and continued with his meal. "One of my finest students lives in the town," he said._

_Sephiroth glanced up, pausing from his meal. "What is his name? Perhaps Cloud knows him."_

"_It's a she. Her name is Tifa Lockhart."_

_Cloud flinched, dropping the vegetables from his fork. _

"_Ah, she is the one I've hired as our guide to Mt. Nibel. I will look forward to meeting her tomorrow." Sephiroth turned to the still-frozen Cloud. "Do you know her?"_

_Cloud shook his head. "No…I don't."_

_Zangan wiped his mouth with a clean napkin, smiling at the thought of his favorite pupil. "Yes, Tifa is an incredible young woman. I anticipate that her skills will exceed that of my own in the future."_

"_Indeed," Sephiroth said, chewing lightly on some chicken. "Tell me, Zangan, what is the story of that blade you carry on your back?"_

_Zangan nodded, undoing the straps from the scabbard and holding out the katana gently in front of the First Class SOLDIER. "It was crafted by the third generation of the Kisaragi family in Wutai."_

_Sephiroth winced at the mention of his former enemies._

"_Though it is said to be the finest blade in the land, I have never dared to use it in battle."_

"_Why is that?"_

_Zangan brushed his fingers over the engravings at the blade collar. _

"_In the Wutai tongue, it says _'giya haraemi.'"

"_And what the hell does that mean?" Zack asked, still munching wildly at his food._

_Zangan stared at the young man with fierce eyes. _

"_It possesses a meaning that I have spent a decade trying to decipher," he said, returning the blade back to its sheath. "All I will say is that its meaning is best kept secret."_

-xXx-

Cloud walked out into the main cockpit of the Shera, which appeared to be already occupied by eight men, most of whom were busy operating the controls. His attention was focused on the two men who stood near the glass shield. Rufus Shinra, the former president of a fallen corporation, and the man known to him only by the name 'Venge' were having a quiet conversation. Venge glanced over and saw that Cloud had arrived.

"Ah, Strife. Shinra and I were discussing matters concerning your friends."

Cloud remained unmoved by the mention of his friends, and merely joined the two men where they stood.

"It seems that our original plans will require some…modification."

Cloud stared back, unsure of what he meant.

"Your friends arrived at the base much sooner than we anticipated. On top of that, they've allied themselves with the Turks, which was quite an unexpected action.

"Have they infiltrated the facility?" Cloud asked, his voice calm and toneless.

"Yes. According to the surveillance footage we received, they have successfully wiped out the entire facility, and removed the Blindsight materia from Barret Wallace."

Cloud was surprised, though his expression showed otherwise.

"What will you do now?" he asked.

Venge tousled his long, dark hair (which, in Cloud's mind, made him bear a resemblance to Vincent Valentine).

"We will have to disregard our previous plans, now that we know that the two groups have teamed up. But the fact that they know about the Blindsight materia poses a threat to any actions we may launch."

Rufus's arm was emitting the same crimson glow as Cloud's.

"But the addition of another member will prove quite helpful for our purposes," Venge said, glancing towards the direction of Cid's cell.

Rufus spoke next. "How will you approach them now that they have decimated our previous plans?"

Venge grinned. "We will assault them directly, of course. I trust that your friends will find themselves unable to retaliate against an attack made by Ms. Lockhart's fiancée and President Shinra."

He began to laugh hysterically, but Rufus and Cloud merely stared at their captor and leader, as they had lost their emotions long ago.

-xXx-

_Spinning._

_His mind was spinning in all directions, blurring, shaking, screaming. What was happening? What the hell was going on?_

_Cloud woke to the voice of Zangan, but he could also hear the violent roaring of flames nearby. _

"_You're alive?!"_

_Cloud opened his eyes, groaning at the throbbing pain at his shoulder. _

"_Wh-what's going on?"_

"_Sephiroth's gone mad! Get up, boy!" _

_Zangan tugged at his arms, lifting his weight and raising him to his feet. Cloud was still confused at the chaos that blasted out from all directions, but slowly, his memory returned to him._

_Sephiroth._

"_Where's Sephiroth?!" Cloud yelled, now fully conscious. _

"_Zack's gone after him to the Mt. Nibel reactor. Listen, my student Tifa's up there as well! Can you go help them?"_

_Cloud shuddered at the thought of Tifa being cornered by Sephiroth. He nodded, and immediately ran towards the direction of the mountain._

-xXx-

"This sword," Cloud said, holding up the katana. "Where did you get it?"

Venge took a glance at the wooden scabbard, and sipped from his cup of tea.

"Do you like it?"

Cloud stared. His mind was unable to register the meaning of 'liking' something as simple as a sword.

"It belonged to my master," Venge said, placing the cup on the table.

Cloud looked up, his eyes attempting to show surprise.

"You were a student of Zangan?"

Venge nodded.

"Nine years ago, a man named Zangan brought an injured girl to my house in slums of Sector Seven of Midgar. Despite our poverty, my father was an excellent doctor, and he was able to treat the girl's wounds, healing her and returning her to her normal health."

Cloud felt his finger twitch.

Venge merely sipped at his tea, and continued. "The girl's name was Tifa Lockhart. My family helped her build a small shack near our neighborhood, and eventually, she met a man named Barret Wallace and started a bar. Zangan, on the other hand, was grateful to my family, and he took me as a pupil in his teachings of martial arts. I was fascinated."

Another sip.

"Eventually, I had trained enough to become a competent fighter, and my master gave me this blade as a token of his gratitude and acknowledgement. Years after his departure, I found a young woman, being molested by a gang of thugs out in the slums, and I rescued her. I soon fell in love with this woman, and we were engaged to get married."

Cloud twitched at the word, a meaningless memory flashing into his mind.

"That's when you came into my life, Cloud Strife."

Venge shot a glare at him through green eyes, a look of hatred that shone every time their eyes met. Cloud merely stared back, eyes unwavering.

"You and AVALANCHE…you destroyed my home…you killed my wife…" Venge's voice was shaking irritably. "You and the woman I helped save…"

The two men just stared at each other for a while, the room hushed with silence, only to be interrupted by the slow, harsh breathing of Cid Highwind in the corner.

Venge continued. "AVALANCHE and ShinRa both contributed to the destruction of Sector Seven. That is why you are here, Cloud Strife. That is why Rufus Shinra is here. That is why I've robbed you of your emotions."

He paused, sipping again at the cup.

"And that is why you will kill Tifa Lockhart."

-xXx-

_Was this not the man who had recently lectured him about human emotions?_

_Cloud grimaced as the man he once knew as a hero groaned loudly at the large blade that had pierced through his back. Sephiroth had been wounded._

"_My family…" Cloud rasped. "My home…my friends…"_

_He thrust the sword in further, causing the madman to wince in pain._

"_How **dare** you take them away from me!"_

_Sephiroth emitted a harsh laugh, still clutching at his bleeding abdomen._

"_So you finally decide to show some emotion," he said, grinning._

_Cloud glared. _

_He was tempted to jab the sword all the way through, but he knew Sephiroth was as good as dead. Right now, the only thought on his mind was going back to the injured Tifa._

_He had promised to protect her._

-xXx-

"Do you know what the engravings say, Cloud Strife?" Venge asked, twirling the teacup with his fingers.

"I know what they say. I know not what they mean."

The dark-haired man chuckled, amused at Cloud's inability to express anger at the truths he had shared with him.

"_Giya haraemi,"_ he said, still wearing a grin. "It means…_a grudge unforgotten."_


	7. All But One

**All But One**

**All But One**

_WARK WARK!_

_Damn…_

_WARK! WARK!_

_There was something about Chocobo alarm clocks that Barret absolutely despised._

_WARK WARK!_

_Perhaps it was the hideous screeching of their 'warking.'_

_WARK WARK!_

_Or perhaps it was the fact that they don't stop screeching until you shut them off._

_WARK WARK!_

_Either way, Barret was at a loss since the obnoxious bird clock was on the other side of his room._

_WARK WARK!_

_With a combination of two curse words and a soft grunt, Barret Wallace rolled off the bottom bunk, slipping on a clean pair of socks and lacing his size 18 boots. He grumbled his way over to the clock and was tempted to smash it with his prosthetic; too bad it belonged to his roommate. He shut it off with a click, and sighed as peace was restored to the room. The digital display on the Chocobo's chest read 6:18 a.m._

_Work at the oil rig was a rough task. And due to his incredible bulk and strength, Barret was usually left with the **real** hard work._

_Today wasn't much different. There were at least sixty to seventy barrels of oil lined up on the top level of the rig, each of them weighing anywhere from ninety to a hundred and fifty pounds. Barret's job was simple. He had to haul every single one of them down to the lowest level. _

_It was simple, but it was also a bitch._

_The first few barrels were always easy. He'd lift it gracefully, embracing the full diameter of the carton, and balancing the weight onto his chest. After descending down the four stairways to the lowest floor, Barret placed the barrel in the designated corner._

"_Yo Wallace! I hear they're serving fried shrimp for lunch!" a man yelled, waving._

_Barret grinned. He loved shrimp day._

_He climbed all the way back up to the top level, and heaved another barrel. This whole ordeal reminded him of the time when he, Cloud and Tifa had climb the stairs all the way to the 59th floor of the ShinRa building. Damn. That had also been a bitch. Hours passed by, and Barret's mammoth-like muscles began to ache in exhaustion. He had managed to bring down barrel number thirty-nine before collapsing onto the floor, panting and sweating. _

"_Yo Wallace, I'll cover the rest," a man called, tousling his slick brown hair. "Take a breather!"_

_Barret nodded and waved in gratitude, wiping his forehead with a clean towel. _

_He couldn't wait to eat some damn shrimp._

-xXx-

He saw something white.

As he became aware that his body was resting horizontally, his vision came into focus, and Barret realized it was the ceiling, only it was covered in holes. On his right side he saw a fluorescent light.

Someone gently touched his chest.

His eyes followed the hand up to the arm, the arm up to the shoulder, and finally discerned a black leather attire and long, dark hair—Tifa Lockhart, smiling warmly.

"You're finally up. What a relief," she said.

Barret blinked. Surely his mind was playing tricks on him. Or was he still dreaming? No, this was real. He could feel her hand resting on his chest, he could clearly see that pretty smile on her face, and he could still feel the burning sores on his left arm. He gaped at the smiling woman, his hand beginning to tremble madly and his face paling as much as his dark skin would allow.

"What's wrong Barret? Hey, it's me, Tifa! What's the matter?"

Barret began to shake violently, his massive weight causing the entire bed to tremor.

"Barret! Get a hold of yourself!"

Tifa rose to her feet, eyes widened, unsure of how to react to this sudden seizure. She wondered if she should go and bring Tseng, but decided against it. Barret needed her.

"Y-you…" Barret began to rasp, his body still trembling. "Y-you…ar-are…"

Tifa grabbed his hand, holding it tightly and trying hard to calm him down. "It's okay, Barret! It's me, Tifa! You're alright now!"

"Ti-Tifa…you're…a-alive…" Barret gasped.

Tifa could only stare back, perplexed.

-xXx-

_Small bite-size shrimp poppers, fried to a crispy brown color and flaked with tiny crumbs that added an extra kick into the flavor. All this, topped with a nice zesty tang of lemon juice, served with some tartar sauce, garlic bread and chocolate frikkin' milk. He couldn't ask for a better meal._

_Or maybe he could…considering Tifa's cooking could easily put this meal to shame._

_Anyways, he couldn't ask for a better **cafeteria** meal. _

_Barret balanced his plate and walked past the first few tables, ignoring the obnoxious laughter and chatter of his fellow workers. He was heading toward his usual seat, with Lockeman and his roommate, but he was abruptly interrupted by a stranger._

"_Excuse me, Mr. Wallace," the man said, tilting his head in a mannerly gesture. He was a tall man with long, dark hair and pale skin. Were it not for the formal black suit, Barret might have mistaken him for Vincent Valentine._

"_Do I know you?" Barret grunted, annoyed at the delay of eating his shrimp. _

"_No, but allow me to introduce myself."_

"_Make it quick, man, I gotta eat my damn shrimp."_

_The man nodded. "Sir, I've come here to inform you of some rather unfortunate news."_

_Barret tossed a shrimp popper into his mouth, chewing rudely with his mouth open._

"_The people you know in Edge…the people who reside in the bar known as Seventh Heaven…"_

_Barret glanced up._

"_They have been killed, Mr. Wallace."_

_The loud chatter within the cafeteria was suddenly interrupted by the unpleasant clashing of Barret's plastic tray with the floor. _

_Barret froze._

-xXx-

"Look at me, Barret! _Look_ at me!"

Tifa had called Tseng. Together, they were trying the best they could to calm down the panicking Barret, but he was still trembling violently, his face and neck now drenched with sweat.

"He's in shock," Tseng said, heading over to the medical cabinet and retrieving what looked like a needle.

Tifa pursed her lips. "What are you doing?"

"Trust me," Tseng said, filling the syringe with a clear substance. "My old man was a doctor. I know a thing or two about medicine."

He walked back to the cabinet, digging into a plastic container, and retrieved a bottle that was labeled "alcohol." He put on a pair of white latex gloves, and reached down for the syringe, but Tifa abruptly grabbed his wrist, glaring at him through tired, ruby eyes.

"You're _not_ going to do that, Tseng."

The Turk stared back at her, and the two of them momentarily ignored the violent rumbling of Barret's body.

"I'm only trying to help, Tifa."

Tifa shook her head.

"There's something wrong with him. They've done something to Barret. I want to help him. Without _that."_ She glanced at the needle.

Tseng opened his mouth to protest, but after taking a brief glance at Barret, then back at Tifa, he let out a sigh, and tossed the syringe to the floor.

"Thanks, Tseng."

"Don't thank me," he said, walking out the door. "Your friend needs your help."

-xXx-

_Tears. _

_Since his childhood, Barret had not been one who was quick to show tears. But these past four years had been too tragic, too traumatizing for even his strong emotional shields. Jessie, Biggs, Wedge, Sector Seven, Dyne…even Aeris…they'd all been taken from him._

_But now…_

…_no…this couldn't be right. No, not Tifa. Not Denzel. _

_Not Marlene._

_Barret wept. As he held the photographs of his only family, their lifeless faces staring out into nothing, Barret wept. _

"_I'm sorry, Mr. Wallace," the man said, rubbing his back._

_They were in a car, driving from the Junon port toward Midgar. Barret smashed his prosthetic arm against the leather seat, causing the entire car to jolt slightly._

"_What about Cloud," he rasped, allowing another tear to trail down slowly._

"_Mr. Strife is currently missing," the man answered._

_Barret looked up, eyes showing disbelief. _

_The man stared back, tousling his long hair and sighing. _

"_We've investigated the deaths of your loved ones, Mr. Wallace." He paused, his dark eyes meeting the teary gaze of Barret. "We know who is responsible for their murders."_

"_Who?!" Barret snapped, clenching his fist._

"_It appears that it was none other than Rufus Shinra…" the man answered. "Shinra and his Turks. Mr. Wallace, though I cannot share with you my real name, I am referred to by the name Venge. Now let me ask you a question, Mr. Wallace. Will you help me avenge your loved ones?"_

_Barret crumbled the photo in his human hand, his eyes now burning with rage._

"_Yeah," he said. "I will."_

-xXx-

Half an hour later, Barret passed out, his body too exhausted to carry on. Tifa sat next to him, holding his large hand in her own, staring through tired, red eyes, comforting her friend as he slept.

The others were now asleep. After an entire day of rummaging through the remains of Midgar, they deserved to rest, especially Yuffie, who had been caring for the wounded Vincent through most of the night. Reno and Rude had "taken care of" the corpses up on the second level, and Elena was busy gathering the usable materia, in case they needed to defend themselves. Now they were all sleeping, their exhausted forms sprawled out across the floor of the third level.

But Tifa refused to rest.

There was something terribly wrong with Barret. The look of fear in his eyes when he looked at her, it discomforted her, and she wanted to know what happened to him. Yawning, Tifa stretched out one arm, feeling the muscles ache in her shoulders. She caught a glimpse of the crimson red sphere resting on the countertop, next to the medical cabinet.

_Blindsight materia._

It had a particular eeriness about it, sending chills up Tifa's spine.

Whatever it was…whatever it _did_…

…it was the reason Barret had attacked Yuffie.

Tifa couldn't stop staring at it.

-xXx-

_A month had passed since he heard the news. _

_An entire month without speaking a single word. Barret only had one thought in his mind, one purpose left for him to fulfill. The anger and rage, the guilt and fury, they consumed him as the days went by. He was cold. _

_Maybe it was because of that strange red materia they had given him. Didn't they call it the Blindsight materia? It didn't matter. All he wanted was to find the bastards who killed his family. Rufus Shinra and his damn Turks. They'd pay._

_Barret slumped back in his chair, staring into the white wall in front of him, his mind void of thoughts and dreams, only feeding off the one emotion he had left. _

_Anger._

_When the knob turned, and the door opened, Barret felt nothing._

_When Yuffie Kisaragi stared at him through shocked, unbelieving eyes, Barret felt nothing._

_When he slowly lifted his gun-arm, preparing to kill the girl he once knew as a companion, Barret felt nothing._

_For all of his emotions had been killed._

_All, but one._


	8. Broken

**All But One**

**Broken**

_To live and die without ever knowing the radiant warmth of the sun, or the blue tranquility of the skies…such is the life of a man of the slums. _

_Despite his life of poverty, Que'd was a man content with his life. Friends, family, security…these were all he needed to live in happiness. At twenty-four years in age, Que'd refused to move out from his parents' household, as he insisted on staying with them through his mother's sickness. His father was once a renowned doctor in the island of Mideel, but after a series of business-related circumstances, he and his family were forced to move to the city of Midgar, where his wife soon developed her illness. Que'd had little memory of the older brother he once had, though his father often spoke about him. He only knew that he had left his dying mother many years ago, abandoning his family, and leaving the one brother he ever had to look after himself._

_Work in the materia shop was quiet for Que'd, since they rarely had customers in Sector Seven. Most of the residents busied themselves at home, at work, or at the bar on the other side of the vicinity. Seventh Heaven was quite a popular stop for men around his age, a humble abode managed by the very girl he and his father had helped save five years ago. The barmaid, Tifa Lockhart, was a beautiful young woman, but Que'd rarely ever met her, much less talked to her._

_Darkness swept over the streets of the slums at around four to five o'clock each day, mainly because of the massive plate that shielded out the sun above. As Que'd walked home from another slow day at work, he threw of few scraps of his lunch at the stray cat that stalked him. The street lights illuminated at his left, casting a large shadow to his right. Que'd sighed at the thought of his sick mother at home, and the inevitable death that would slowly take her life. It was a strange illness, one that not even his father could identify. All he knew was that she became ill after moving into the slums, breathing polluted air, and drinking filthy water._

_Que'd stopped._

_He heard the a distant muffled scream. A woman's voice._

_He scanned the area, slowly heading toward the alleys, where the noises came from. Then he saw them. A group of men, unmasked, each of them probably around thirty years in age, surrounding a strangled woman._

_Que'd immediately dropped his bags, dashing toward the scene and pulling on the black leather gloves he kept in his back pocket. One of the men saw him, and yelled, "Hey! Let's get him!"_

_Que'd easily dodged the first punch, jabbing his fist hard into the man's chest, and causing him to fly back, grunting. He spun around, lifting his leg and thrusting a roundhouse kick to the next man, hitting him square in the jaw. Three more men circled him, two of whom were wielding small knives. Little did they know that Que'd had been a pupil of Zangan, master of martial arts. One man was quickly knocked unconscious, taking a hard blow to his neck. Que'd tilted his head back, dodging the knife that swung at him. He grabbed the wrist and tugged his weight forward, causing the man to flip over his shoulder and land hard onto the concrete ground. Que'd felt a sharp sting to his side, as the knife ripped at some flesh. Que'd grunted, his anger boiling, and unleashed a series of lightning-quick punches and kicks, a move Zangan called the Beat Rush. The last man lay still on the ground, along with the other unconscious forms that sprawled out in heaps. _

"_Are you alright?" Que'd asked, showing gentle eyes._

_She nodded._

"_Thank you."_

-xXx-

Yuffie Kisaragi watched the gradual rise and falls of Vincent's chest, her hand resting near the brass claw that lay still on the bed. At first, she had been worried about his very survival, but Vincent Valentine was by no means an ordinary human, as his body's natural healing process functioned at many times the rate of a normal man. Tseng had removed the bullets from his body, and as time passed, the wounds healed themselves up, forcing Yuffie to watch in astonishment as the tissue and flesh wove together at an impossible speed. Vincent was an immortal.

But he was still unconscious, his body laying still on top of the bunk bed that they'd found in the third level of the facility. His heavy red cloak hung limply from the doorknob, but Vincent was still clad in his black uniform, his crimson bandanna still wrapped around the forehead.

Tifa occasionally came in to check up on the two, leaving some rice near the side table, and patting Yuffie on the back. "He'll be fine," she'd say, and Yuffie would just smile back, nodding.

-xXx-

_Que'd jingled the gil in his pockets, casually walking down the crowded streets of Sector Six, where he had just finished taking care of a few errands. He brushed his fingers across the two thin papers in his left pocket, grinning as he made his way toward the Sector Gate. He had purchased two tickets to the theatre from the man in Sector Six. It would be quite a surprise for Lillia, as she was a passionate lover for drama. He pulled out one of the tickets, and smiled at the bold print at read "Loveless." He'd heard about this play before, and apparently, it was one well worth attending._

_As he approached the steel arch that marked the exit from Sector Six, he saw a woman standing next to the gate, holding a basket in one arm. She had long, braided brown hair, and wore a pink long skirt that matched her ribbon. _

"_Would you like to buy some flowers?" she asked, smiling._

_Que'd stared at the basket of yellow roses. "How much?" he asked._

_The girl smiled wider, picking out one of the flowers and handing it to him. _

"_1 gil!" she giggled. _

"_Only 1 gil? You couldn't possibly make a profit out of that, could you?" Que'd asked, reaching into his pocket. _

"_Who said I'm doing this for the money?" the girl teased, still smiling._

_Que'd handed her sixty-two gil, which was all the pocket change he had._

"_Oh no, I couldn't!" the girl said, shaking her head._

"_May I ask your name?"_

_She smiled. "Aeris."_

"_Well then, Aeris. Consider it my way of thanking you for the beautiful flower."_

_He dropped the gil into a small pouch she had in the basket, and nodded as he departed. _

"_Thank you! Hope she likes the flower!" Aeris shouted, waving._

_Thirty minutes later, Que'd called Lillia, asking her to meet him in Sector Five, and telling her that he had a surprise waiting for her. When she arrived, Que'd handed her the flower, and pulled out the two 'Loveless' tickets, consequently receiving a tight hug and a kiss._

_The two had been dating for a month now, and Que'd was already contemplating about his future, and whether or not Lillia was the woman he had been waiting for. _

_The play Loveless was indeed a fascinating work of drama, leaving Lillia in tears when it finally concluded. Que'd had found it quite depressing and a little unrealistic. Perhaps a little too dramatic. But then again, it was merely a play. Nothing more._

_At the exit of the theatre, the couple purchased a cup of ice cream, and approached the nearest bench in order to share their thoughts on the drama they had just seen. However, the bench was already occupied by two men, one of them blonde, his head topped by a pair of goggles. They were both smoking, and seemed to be in conversation._

"_Damn," the blonde one said, puffing out twin plumes of smoke from his nostrils. "That was a helluva play, eh?"_

"_Ha, I don't know, man. Fell asleep by the second scene. Anyways, how's the space program goin' in Rocket Town?"_

"_Shit man, I don't even wanna talk about it."_

_Que'd shrugged, and suggested that they find somewhere else to share their ice cream. Lillia pulled out the flower, which had been placed in her hair, right above her ear. _

"_Where'd you get this, anyway?" she asked, smelling the fragrance._

"_Some girl was selling them in Sector Six. I think her name was Aeris."_

-xXx-

It was called a materia-decipherer, or an MD. ShinRa had manufactured them up until the Meteorfall incident, but now they were pretty uncommon considering no one really cared for materia these days.

Elena pressed the trigger, pointing the gun-like device at one of the yellow materia. The digital display beeped, reading "Please wait…"

After a few more seconds, the display showed the properties of the materia, and Elena smiled. "Materia Identification Number: 109221. Name: Deathblow. Properties: Releases adrenaline into the user's circulation, temporarily boosting the body's physical capabilities and strength. Symptoms: May cause heavy fatigue when body potential is exceeded. Level: Unmastered.

"Yo Elena!" Reno poked out his red-haired head from the door, tossing her a loaf of bread. "Chief says the big guy's up. He wants us all to come."

Elena nodded, setting the MD on the side table.

-xXx-

_Que'd and Lillia stood before his parents, awaiting their approval of the decision they had made together. _

"_We've been together for quite a while now," Que'd said, gazing at the pale skin of his mother's face. _

_Que'd's father nodded, turning his gaze to the woman. "Are you sure that my son is the man you want to spend the rest of your life with, Lillia?"_

_She nodded. "I've never been more certain about anything."_

"_Then I pray that you two may share a life of happiness and peace together."_

_Que'd had never been happier in his life._

-xXx-

_The news headlines on the television read "Terrorism in Midgar." _

_Lillia tightened her grip on Que'd's hand, looking at him nervously. Que'd smiled, giving her reassurance. They returned their attention to the broadcast, straining their ears as the anchorman continued to speak about the tragic incident._

"_-a few moments ago, the Mako Reactor near Sector One was demolished by an incredible explosion! The ShinRa Electric Power Company has already begun to evacuate the area in case of another threat, and our investigative reports say that the act was executed by none other than the atrocious group known as AVALANCHE! SIN news will continue to—"_

_Que'd turned off the television, shaking his head in disbelief. Who could do such a thing? Even though he was aware of the environmental harms caused by the Mako Reactors, he shunned such acts of terror. _

"_Do you think we'll be okay?" Lillia asked, still clutching Que'd's hand._

_Que'd nodded. _

"_We'll be absolutely fine, Lilly." He smiled. "I promise."_

-xXx-

_His phone rang. Que'd glanced at the digital display on his PHS, but it read "Unknown Caller," so he just turned it on._

"_Hello?"_

"_Que'd! Get mother out of Sector Seven!"_

_The voice sounded eerily familiar._

"_Who is this?"_

"_I need you to listen! There's not much time! Get to mother quickly, and take her out of the Sector!"_

"_Hey! Who are you?"_

"_Listen to me, brother. In about five minutes—"_

_The phone went dead._

_Que'd stared at it for a while, eyes emitting confusion. Did he just call me 'brother?' No…it couldn't be. Que'd's brother hadn't been in contact for—_

_The lights went out._

_A sudden tremor._

_Que'd swallowed. Was it an earthquake?_

_He could hear murmurs from the lobby area. Que'd reached out to the wall, leading himself back towards the door, and turned the knob. There was a lot of talking going on in the main lobby of the inn, but Que'd merely ignored them, heading straight towards the exit._

_As he walked out of the hotel, Que'd didn't know what to expect. _

_But he sure as hell didn't see **this** coming._

_The ground shook violently, causing him to collapse onto his hands. The entire Wall Market was now screaming in horror as the earth beneath them vibrated madly, forcing the frightened shoppers to run, unsure of how to react._

_Then he saw it._

_The massive steel structure above that separated the Acropolis from the Slums began to jolt violently, the pillar below it exploding into rubble, causing the entire plate to shift slightly. An enormous cloud of smoke and dust shot out from under the plate as the steel hinges broke off from the bulk, forcing the structure to let out an excruciating groan._

_Que'd watched in horror._

_The plate broke off, collapsing in upon itself, and falling down onto the vicinity below._

_Falling down onto Sector Seven._

-xXx-

Tifa and the Turks circled around the bed, waiting patiently for the drowsy Barret to break the silence. But he just stared up at the ceiling, avoiding all eye contact and keeping his gaze away from the Turks. Though he was awake and calm, Barret was still very confused in his mind. He slowly turned his eyes to Tifa, and opened his mouth to speak.

"The hell's goin' on?" he rasped, staring at the concerned woman. "I thought you were dead, Tifa. No…I _knew_ you had died. I saw the pictures! I saw it! I saw everything!"

Tifa touched his arm, her eyes gentle and calming. "I'm here, Barret. It's okay, I'm here."

"What about Marlene?! What about Denzel?! Cloud's supposed to be missin'! Cid and Yuffie _told _me! I _heard_ them say it! I _heard_ them!"

Barret's hands were trembling, his lips quivering. Tifa saw the fear in his eyes.

"I don't know what they did to you, Barret. I don't know what they showed you, or what they told you. I don't know how they made you believe I was dead. But I'm not. Marlene and Denzel are with Elmyra. They're safe."

Tifa paused, biting her lip, and clenching her free hand into a fist.

"But Cloud is missing."

-xXx-

_A week had passed since the demise of Sector Seven._

_A week had passed since the death of his parents._

_A week had passed since his fiancée was killed._

_Que'd stared at the rubble, his mind void of thoughts. He hadn't eaten anything since it happened, and he didn't plan to eat anything now. In fact, he didn't plan to do anything. Just sit here, in the playground in front of his destroyed home. _

_Que'd had already wasted all his tears when he first arrived here. Now his mouth was completely dry, his parched throat aching in thirst, and his angry stomach demanding a cease to the starvation. But Que'd ignored the cries of his body, and merely gazed at the place where his home once stood._

_His father…his mother…_

_The stray cat he used to always feed…_

_The materia shop…_

_Lillia…_

_They were all gone now._

_Que'd only waited for his own death._

-xXx-

Tseng stepped forward. "Barret—"

"Get the _hell _away from me! Tifa! Tell him to get the hell away!"

Barret growled violently at the Turk, causing him to step back and raise his palms slightly as if he were trying to calm down an untamed animal.

"Barret," Tifa said, squeezing his arm. "It's okay, the Turks are with us."

Barret was breathing heavily, his forehead drenched in cold sweat. He grasped Tifa's small hand, squeezing it tightly as if it was the only thing he had left.

"God damn it, Tifa! What the hell did they do to me?! What the _hell_ happened?!"

Tifa stared at the man through concerned eyes. Something was terribly wrong with Barret. She felt a shiver go up her spine as Barret began to weep.

It was the first time she'd seen him cry.

-xXx-

_When Que'd had learned about AVALANCHE's involvement with the destruction of Sector Seven, he found a new purpose in life. A new reason to live._

_He vowed revenge against those responsible for taking away everything he held dear._

_Currently, he was in the Kalm Public Library. He was searching through the newspapers and magazines, highlighting each and every article that mentioned the terrorist group known as AVALANCHE. Right now, Que'd knew very little about his enemies. He didn't know the members, he didn't know their current location, and he surely didn't know what he was up against. He wasn't worried about the actual "killing them" part, considering Que'd was fairly confident in any form of combat. Instead, his main concern was how he would find them._

_Que'd stayed in the library for days._

_The only useful information he could retrieve, was that AVALANCHE tended to use explosives in their missions, that their base was assumed to be located somewhere near Sector Five, Six, or Seven, and that the group consisted of less than ten members._

_Three days later, a man walked in._

_He sported spiky, blonde hair, a well-built physique, and an extremely large sword._

_Que'd found him interesting._

_The man asked the librarian where he could find the weapons store. She gave him the directions, and he left._

_After stalking the man all over town, and finally to the Kalm Inn, Que'd was forced to wait outside as his target ascended into his private room._

_Two hours later, he came back down, this time, accompanied by three other individuals and a strange four-legged creature of sorts. But when Que'd caught a glimpse of the two women, he felt his heart stop._

_One of them was Tifa Lockhart, the barmaid of Seventh Heaven, and the girl he had helped save four years ago. She was alive?! How did she survive?!_

_The other was at first, only familiar in appearance, as Que'd could not identify her with a name. But after seeing the bright smile she shared with her friends, he remembered. It was the flower girl from the slums. Aeris._

_Que'd found himself quite taken aback by the familiar faces, but he remained silent and hidden, careful not to lose his cautiousness. He leaned forward from behind the large crate, and strained his ears._

"_Still can't believe you don't remember what happened! I mean how the hell do you forget somethin' like that?!" the large, dark-skinned man said._

"_I told you, it's all unclear," the blonde man._

"_Barret, just lay off, will ya? It's been five years since that happened!" Aeris._

"_Yes, though I, too, am curious how Cloud survived a fight with Sephiroth," the red creature. _

_Wait. Did that animal just speak?!_

"_Well, damn! Excuuuse me!" the large man. _

"_Where're we going now?" Tifa._

"_I'm not sure…first, let's go and…" _

_They were too far away now. Que'd couldn't make out any more of the conversation. He sighed. There hadn't been any mention of AVALANCHE. _

_Que'd scolded himself mentally for even **thinking** about such accusations._

_How could someone like Tifa or Aeris ever be in AVALANCHE?_

-xXx-

Tifa was now seated on the bed, her arms wrapped around Barret's massive shoulders. She whispered into his ear, telling him it was okay, that everything was alright.

When Barret finally forced himself to stop weeping, he let out a deep sigh, eyeing each of the Turks one by one.

"So you're all workin' together now?" he asked.

Tifa nodded. "If it wasn't for their help, we probably would still be up there looking for you."

Tseng stepped forward, cautiously. "Please, excuse me, Barret, but I need to ask you a few questions in order to learn more about our enemy."

Barret stared back, nodding slowly. "What is it?"

"You said that you saw pictures of Tifa and the children…"

"Yeah, I did."

"What else did…_they_ show you?"

Barret closed his eyes, trying hard not to relive that horrid moment. "They let me call Cid and Yuffie. I refused to believe the bullshit they were tellin' me, so I demanded to ask my friends. When I called Cid, he sounded pretty damn depressed. 'They're dead,' he told me, 'Tifa, Marlene, Denzel…they're all dead.' That was it. Yuffie was cryin' all over the damn phone, screaming 'I'm sorry, Barret! I'm sorry we couldn't do anything about it!' That's when it got to me. I knew it was true."

Tseng closed his eyes, his mind deep in thought. He nodded, and said, "I see. We will have to question Yuffie about that later. What else did they do? Do you remember what happened after that?"

"I told them to get the hell away from me, but the guy…I think his name was Venge or somethin'…he told me he was with the WRO. I didn't believe the bastard. What kind of sick freak would call himself Venge? He told me it was a code name…a title for security purposes since he was with the Criminal Investigation Department."

Tseng interrupted. "The WRO doesn't have a Criminal Investigation Department."

"Well how the hell am I supposed to know that?!"

Tseng nodded apologetically. "I'm sorry…please continue."

"Anyways, he told me I should come with him. When we went in the car, he handed me a picture. I swear to God it was the realest thing I ever saw. Tifa…Denzel…Marlene…they were all…"

Tifa rubbed his back. "It's alright, Barret. It was all fake."

"But it sure as hell didn't _look_ fake! After that, the guy told me he'd help me avenge the bastards who killed them."

Barret looked at Tseng, eyes wavering.

"He said it was the Turks."

-xXx-

_Upon his return to the desolate ruins of Sector Seven, Que'd found a group of teenagers smoking near the playground. He asked them what they were doing here, and one of them replied, "Just shittin' around."_

_Que'd couldn't help but ask for a cigarette. _

_As they conversed, Que'd learned that these boys had also been survivors of the Sector Seven incident. They had apparently been horsing around in Sector Six, when the plate fell, killing all of their parents. Que'd asked them if they knew of more survivors._

_They nodded._

_A few months later, **it** appeared in the sky._

_It looked like a large star or perhaps maybe even a small moon during the day, but at night, its red color revealed its distinguishing features from the other stars in the sky. _

_They called it Meteor._

_They said it was the end of the world, and that Meteor would undoubtedly kill everything on the planet. Some said it was a matter of days, while others argued that they still had months. _

_Some people even committed suicide, unable to deal with the fear of witnessing the world's end. Others prayed, asking whatever gods they worshipped for deliverance from the apocalypse. _

_Que'd, personally, could care less._

_Over the past few weeks, he and the teenagers had gathered two or three more survivors from Sector Seven. Together, they vowed to avenge the destruction of their homes, and persisted on in their investigation on AVALANCHE. Que'd soon found out about an anti-ShinRa conspiracy, that the corporation had had a part in the destruction of Sector Seven. At first, he couldn't believe it, but as he pondered the possibilities, he soon became aware of the company's evil side, and marked them as another target._

_Que'd naturally became the leader of the survivors, and took on the name of 'Venge,' swearing to his followers that he would bring down everyone responsible for the death of their loved ones._

_He thrived off of the need for vengeance._


	9. Revelations

**All But One**

**Revelations**

_The night sky was hued in red, an unnatural glow illuminating its great expanse as the calamity known simply as Meteor stormed down upon the planet of Gaia, seeking to deliver certain doom. As the crew aboard the Highwind watched in terror, Cloud was constantly shouting orders into his PHS, advising Yuffie and Vincent where to evacuate the citizens, as they knew little about the city of Midgar. _

_After their final battle with the notorious one winged angel Sephiroth, AVALANCHE split into two groups, one of which consisted of Yuffie, Vincent and Reeve. Their task was to get everyone to safety, while Cloud and the others went to retrieve Elmyra and Marlene. _

_Yuffie watched as a ShinRa aircraft landed near her location, groups of ten to twelve rescue squad members scattering around the panicked vicinity and leading the people to the evacuation routes. _

"_Come on! Hurry up! And try not to drop anybody this time!" she shouted, waving her arms into the air and signaling for more men. _

_The rescue squad captain ran to her side, his body clad in a ShinRa Emergency Uniform. _

"_Report!" Yuffie ordered, still clutching the PHS in one hand._

"_Evac complete! All the injured have been moved to the transports!"_

"_Okay!" Yuffie shouted, her voice barely audible in the raging wind. "Let's get outta here!"_

_She nodded as the aircraft returned to the air, transporting a group of twenty individuals. Four more rescue squad teams scrambled out towards the Sector Gate, leading a large crowd of civilians. _

_Yuffie turned back to the captain. "Just remember to keep on guard until you're clear of the red zone!"_

_The captain nodded, rushing out from the street and shouting orders at his men._

_Yuffie held up her PHS, pressing the trigger and shouting, "We're all done here! How 'bout you?"_

_---_

_Reeve could barely make out her voice through the device, the chorus of the wind and people's screams blaring out in an inharmonic frenzy. _

"_I only have one more group!" he yelled, pacing forward as the crowd quickly followed behind him._

"_Alright!" Yuffie answered. "Vincent and I will rendezvous with Cloud and the others! Meet us at the Sector Three evac site!"_

"_Got it!"_

_Reeve tucked in his PHS and waved his arm. _

"_Come on! We're almost there!"_

_The residents of Sector Six would never make it to the main evac site on time, but fortunately, Reeve knew of a secret underground science facility ShinRa had constructed some time back. It had been abandoned after the former president's assassination, since Rufus knew nothing of the facility, but Reeve knew that it was an excellent shelter with the necessary provisions to keep these people safe._

"_Alright! Someone give me a hand with this!" he shouted, kneeling down next to the large plate that read "Keep Out." _

_A tall man, dark-haired and green-eyed shoved through the crowd._

"_What's your name?!" Reeve yelled, fiddling with his bundle of keys._

_The man merely stared back, and answered, "I am Que'd."_

-xXx-

Reeve sipped at his mug of black coffee, his eyes still fixed on the report files that were piled up on his desk. The WRO had been investigating the disappearance of Barret Wallace for over a month now, and Reeve was frustrated at the lack of progression. Despite their week-long inspections in Junon, Mideel and Corel, the Investigative Department had little to no knowledge on Barret's whereabouts, and on top of that, Cid Highwind was not picking up the damn phone.

Reeve pressed down on the com, and was a little surprised when the secretary responded.

"Rosianna, you're still here?"

"Yes, Commissioner."

"It's an hour past midnight!"

"As long as you're in your office, I'll be in mine, sir."

Reeve grinned.

"Listen, Rosie, have you been able to get in contact with Vincent Valentine?"

"No, sir, he's not picking up."

Reeve let out a sigh. _Why is no one answering the damn phone?! _

"What about the search team? Have you dispatched a group?"

"Yes, sir, but they haven't been able to locate the target, yet."

"Okay, listen. Tell them to contact me as soon as they find Nanaki."

"Understood, sir."

"I'm gonna try heading over to the bar now."

The secretary giggled.

"Long day, sir?"

"Oh no, Rosie, I have friends working there."

"Ah."

"Anyways, be sure to contact me if anything shows up, okay?"

"Yes, Commissioner."

-xXx-

_After witnessing the obliteration of Meteor, courtesy of the Lifestream, the survivors of the underground facility returned to the surface, their visages masked with expressions of horror as they gazed upon the ruination of their once proud city. Reeve Tuetsi was finally able to rendezvous with the other members of AVALANCHE, and at last revealed his true human self to his heroic comrades, as Cait Sith had been acting on his behalf prior to this encounter. Days passed by, and AVALANCHE voluntary helped the civilians of Midgar, escorting lost children to the temporary shelters at the outskirts of the city, where some of the were fortunate enough to reunite with their families. Eventually, the group bid their farewells to each other, and set off on their own paths, despite Yuffie Kisaragi's relentless protests against the schism. Reeve remained in Midgar for a few months, lending a hand to those in need and helping with the construction of homeless shelters. He was able to meet his old co-worker from ShinRa, Rosianna, who had resigned from the corporation after the Sector Seven incident. _

_Meanwhile, Venge and his gang continued to search for new members, urging the survivors of Midgar to help him in his "quest for restoration." Soon after Meteorfall, they resided within the vicinity of Sector Six, usually taking shelter in the abandoned homes, where they scavenged for canned foods and preserved aliments. They dubbed the underground facility as "the Meeting Place," and Venge continued to plan out his revenge against the members of AVALANCHE. But to his fortune, he had learned about Reeve's involvement with the group and how he sought to establish a new program dedicated to the rebuilding of the world, and this knowledge marked the start of his ingenious plan._

_The relationship between Reeve and Rosianna was impenetrable in that they had been co-workers since their first promotions into the ShinRa Company. Though they never harbored any romantic feelings toward each other, their trust was thought to be absolute._

_However, Reeve Tuetsi had no knowledge of the reasons behind Rosianna's resignation from ShinRa._

"_When does he plan to start this program of his?" Venge asked, scooping out the remaining scraps from the tuna can. _

"_Two to three months."_

"_Are you sure you'll get a position?"_

_Rosianna nodded. "Reeve and I go way back."_

_She rose, turning to leave and return to the shelters, but Venge gently grabbed her wrist, stopping her momentarily._

_His dark green eyes showed a cold gaze as he whispered, "For Lillia."_

_Rosianna lowered her head, the burden of her younger sister's death still heavy within her heart._

"_For vengeance."_

-xXx-

When Reeve arrived at the Seventh Heaven Diner and Bar, he was a little surprised at the absence of Cloud's bike near the entrance. _Guess he's late again,_ he thought. _Tifa shouldn't be too happy._

He knocked.

No answer.

It wasn't unexpected, considering it was past 1 am, but Tifa usually stayed awake until Cloud's arrival. Reeve knocked a few more times, and when he was convinced that no one was home, he headed around the back of the building, where Yuffie had once shared her knowledge of the "secret entrance" with him. Crouching low next to the dumpster, Reeve grabbed the metal railing, lifting himself up enough to reach the windowsill. He leveled his head with the window, gazing in to see if there was anyone inside, and pulled out a small sheathed knife, which he kept for self-defense. He slipped the blade in under the window and pressed down against the hilt, opening a small crack big enough to fit his fingers through. He pulled open the window and climbed in, mentally apologizing to Tifa, who wouldn't have been too thrilled to discover his "break in."

This was Tifa's room. About a year ago, when Reeve made frequent visits to the bar, Yuffie had gotten herself into trouble (as usual), and covertly escaped through the back window. She shared with him her "ingenious discovery" and now Reeve couldn't help but thank the mischievous ninja girl from Wutai.

He descended down the stairs and entered the bar. There was an unfamiliar fish tank resting on top of the counter, which lured Reeve's interest. He figured it had been a gift from Cloud, considering Tifa's passion for the ocean was a common fact to the AVALANCHE members. Reeve had in fact suggested the idea of buying her a fish tank, and found himself grinning at the thought of Cloud actually pulling it off.

But something caught his eye.

There was a small piece of paper tucked in at the bottom of the fish tank. He pulled it out, eyes scanning over the familiar handwriting, which obviously belonged to Tifa.

_Just in case you come home, we're all out looking for you._

_Me, Yuffie, Vincent, even the Turks. If you read this note,_

_call me. Denz and Marlene are with Elmyra. _

_-Love Tifa_

Reeve was troubled; he had no knowledge of Cloud's abduction. Placing the note back onto the counter, he reached in for his cell phone, and headed back up to the "secret entrance."

-xXx-

_Rosianna had finally been able to obtain access to a small WRO aircraft, designed for transportation purposes. She had been hired as Reeve Tuetsi's secretary, which was even better than Venge had anticipated. She gained access to all of AVALANCHE's profiles, consequently giving them information on their individual whereabouts and professions. Venge was particularly interested in Cid Highwind's possession of his renowned airship. _

_The plan for revenge was about to unfold. Venge and his men would capture Cloud Strife, Barret Wallace and Rufus Shinra. Barret seemed to have an old grudge against the former president, considering his anti-ShinRa movements and the affiliation with the original AVALANCHE group. Venge would use this to his advantage._

_A few of his men were to attend Tifa's bar regularly, taking in information on Cloud Strife's delivery service, and taking photographs of their targets, the original members of AVALANCHE. They would time his kidnap on the day he clumsily forgot to take his weapons, and apply the Blindsight materia, which they had found in the condensed pools of Mako near the ruins of Midgar._

_Meanwhile, Rufus Shinra would be abducted when his Turks were not around. Venge had little to no information on the identities of the Turks, so he would have to take them out separately. _

_Barret Wallace was the easiest to lure. Using a combination of Manipulate and Mime materia, Venge's men were able to record multiple vocal tracks of Yuffie Kisaragi, Cid Highwind and Reeve Tuetsi. If and when Barret asked for their confirmation of Tifa, Marlene and Denzel's deaths, Venge's men would intercept the phone call, and utilize the recorded voices to trick him. Considering Rosianna's previous position in ShinRa as the Secretary of the Technological Department, her abilities with digital programming were put to use in constructing fake photographs of the three "victims," making it appear as if they'd been killed._

_Venge knew the Turks would be quick in their search for Shinra, and so he told Barret that they were responsible for the murders of his family. _

_His original plan was simple: Using the Blindsight materia, which they had deciphered, they would utilize Rufus, Barret and Cloud as their puppets. The Turks would be lured in to Barret's location in the underground facility, by using scattered materia around Midgar as bait. _

_Barret would then dispose of them._

_Meanwhile, Tifa would likely get in contact with her former AVALANCHE friends. Using the WRO aircraft, courtesy of Rosianna, Venge would take Cloud Strife and obtain the Shera airship from Cid Highwind. _

_Rufus would be used to obtain access to Reeve Tuetsi's military base, where Venge would then take control of the WRO army, wreaking havoc on all parts of the world, finally unleashing his vengeance._

_He would use Cloud Strife to rid the remaining AVALANCHE members._

_Unfortunately, however, Rosianna now knew the plan would not work. She had been busy scattering random materia all over the ruins of Midgar, but saw Yuffie Kisaragi accompanied by two other Turks. _

_They had not anticipated such an alliance between the former enemies._

_Rosianna quickly returned to the shelter in Sector Six, where she was to meet the pilot for the WRO aircraft. She dashed into the children's room, shuffling around the photographs and tossing them onto the baby's crib. Pulling out a pen and a piece of paper, she hurriedly wrote a note addressed to the pilot._

_He's at the meeting place now. _

_We're going to go find some more materia. _

_Wait for us at the meeting place. _

_They'll be coming soon._

_Leaving the note on the coffee table, she quickly ran out from the house, heading in the direction of the underground facility. _

_Venge's plan was not going to work._

-xXx-

Reeve held the phone against his ear, cursing at the lack of a response.

"Pick up the damn phone!" he shouted, speeding past the red light and heading towards the intersection.

Reeve now knew that Barret Wallace's disappearance was not just a strange occurrence. Cloud was also missing, and something weird was going on. This was all part of some kind of sick plan.

Right now, Reeve was heading back to the WRO Headquarters, but Rosianna was not answering the phone. Cid wasn't picking up, Vincent wasn't picking up, Tifa wasn't at the bar, Cloud was missing, Barret was missing, and Nanaki was out of reach. Reeve was aware that someone obviously had a grudge against AVALANCHE, but what he hadn't expected was the arrival of the _Shera_ right next to the WRO Headquarters Building.

The airship hovered down to the ground, and Reeve felt a shiver go up his spine as Cloud Strife and Cid Highwind disembarked.


	10. Clash

**All But One**

**Clash**

Dark strands of hair ruffled in the wind as Venge stepped out from the _Shera_, casting his gaze upon the WRO Commissioner, whose eyes emitted confusion and alertness. Reaching into his jacket pocket, Venge retrieved a single red sphere—a summon materia.

"Forgive me, Commissioner, but we've not the time to deal with you. It's a shame…I didn't even mark you as a target, yet you seem to be the first one to suffer."

Reeve grimaced as he watched the man's arm radiate a dark red glow, the very air around him swirling around in an unnatural torrent. This was definitely not good.

"Now if you'll excuse us, we'll be heading our way, but perhaps I can entertain you with a little pet of mine."

Reeve gasped as Venge thrust his arm into the air, causing the ground to tremble beneath their feet as the earth crackled and ripped in a violent quake. Reeve stepped back, his eyes widening as he witnessed the emergence of a creature from the depths, its hide covered in rubble and steel, its hideous visage barbed with rocks and iron.

Reeve was left to watch in terror as the goliath known as Neo Titan climbed out from the great schism in the ground, towering over his form and leaving him wide-eyed. From the corner of his eye, he saw Cloud and Cid run off into the WRO Building, while Venge re-entered the _Shera_, taking flight and leaving him to face this terrestrial abomination.

"Cloud! Cid! Where the hell are you going?!"

Too late; they were out of sight.

Instead of unleashing an ear-shattering roar as Reeve expected, the creature immediately began to dash forward, stomping across pavement and leaving huge cracks in its wake. Reeve pulled out the blade from his jacket, and squeezed the small button at the bottom of the hilt, summoning his own personal bodyguard, Cait Sith. Unfortunately, the nearest one would take at least ten to fifteen minutes to respond to the signal, and then he'd have to wait another five minutes for it to arrive.

He dove to the left, gasping as his car crumbled under the heavy blow of the monster, and began to sprint down the street. Reeve needed to get out of here; he was no match for this creature.

As soon as he reached the nearest building, he felt the ground quake beneath him and watched in terror as Neo Titan reanimated itself right next to where he stood. _Damn! This thing can swim through the ground!_

Reeve slammed through the doors of the building, ignoring the large sign in the lobby that read "Edge Turn Mall," and headed straight for the stairs; his only chance was to get off the damn ground. Neo Titan smashed its way through the lobby, swinging its colossal trunks of arms and obliterating anything that stood in its way.

"RUN!" Reeve yelled, waving his arm madly at the custodian on the second floor. "GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE! RUN!"

The old man dropped his mop, frozen in horror as the creature of rocks and metal stomped up the stairway, closing in the distance between them. Reeve cursed and turned back, grabbing the janitor by his collar and tugging him back.

"Come on! We have to _run!"_

The man gave a quick nod, but instead of following him, he rushed towards the elevator. Reeve let out another shout, but he was too late. The monster swiped its massive limb across the air, sending the helpless man flying through the room and collapsing limply to the floor. Reeve cursed, and twisted around.

Making his way towards the next flight of stairs, Reeve prayed that Cait would arrive soon. He jerked to the right, rolling across the tiled floor as a mannequin was thrown past him, and shattered a large glass tank that advertised fragrant perfumes. Jumping back to his feet, he grabbed the fire extinguisher that was hung up on the near wall, and slammed it against the titan, crumbling some of the rocks on its hide. Reeve ducked low, barely missing the counterattack, and rolled to the side, fleeing from the enraged beast. After dodging a flying lamp stand and a rack of expensive suits, Reeve turned at the corner, heading up the stairwell, hopping three steps at a time.

Damn, he thought. Maybe I should've listened to Yuffie and taken some _wushu_ lessons.

The next floor was full of things like kitchenware and dishes. This wasn't a good thing, considering the sharp knives and forks that were stacked up here and there. He dashed across the floor, wincing as an entire table of chinaware was thrown past him.

Reeve grabbed a carton of oil and unscrewed the top as he continued to sprint towards the opposite wall. The oil poured down onto the floor and created pools of slick brown.

Neo Titan skidded across the floor, smashing everything in its way and finally slamming into the wall, crumbling it over his collapsed form.

Reeve grinned. That bastard was big, but he was dumb as hell. Reeve would have to use his brains to survive in this fight.

He snatched up another carton of gasoline and aimed it at his enemy, squeezing the bottle with his fingers and spraying a stream of liquid at the angered abomination. When the monster began to approach him again, Reeve tossed aside the gasoline and grabbed a packaged lighter that hung from the wall. Using his teeth to break apart the plastic wrapping, he grabbed the lighter and put it into his pocket, still running towards the next flight of stairs.

The fourth floor consisted of more women's wear.

Reeve dashed to the center of the floor, where the fragrances and cosmetics were located in glass containers. He smashed his elbow against the surface, shattered the glass, and pulled out the largest can of hairspray. Neo Titan was now ascending the stairs.

Reeve threw off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. He pulled out the lighter, and clicked it on, waiting for the beast to come just a little closer. He was going to have one hell of a barbeque.

When the monster was about five feet away, Reeve pressed down on the hairspray and winced as the flames roared out from his hands, smothering his enemy in a coat of fire. He aimed for the eyes, knowing that fire would do little harm against a creature made out of stone, but through this, he would at least blind the son of a bitch.

When the hairspray finally gave out, Reeve tossed it away and made a run for it, wincing as the infuriated beast roared out in anger.

This damn game of cat and mouse was starting to wear him out; Reeve Tuetsi was a commissioner, not a fighter!

Neo Titan was having a tantrum. In blind rage, it swung its arms at everything near it, causing clothes racks and lingerie shelves to burst out in every direction. Reeve felt a slight jab at his back from a flying facial cream bottle, but continued to run towards the next stairwell.

Just as he was about to head through the exit, Reeve was knocked to the side, his ribs cracking at the impact of the blow. He cursed at the pain and saw that it had been a cash register. His side was searing, but he had to run. He had to run…he had to…

He felt a warm liquid ooze down his forehead.

Was this blood? Reeve wiped his hand across the back of his head, and gaped at the thick liquid that dripped from his fingers. He lay near the stairwell, ignoring the ceaseless rampage of the blinded beast, and cursed.

After that, he saw darkness.

-xXx-

Tifa closed her eyes, shivering slightly at the cold breeze of the night. It was probably around two or three a.m. now, and Tifa still hadn't gotten any sleep. Nevertheless, all she wanted right now was some fresh air, considering she'd been inhaling the metallic scent of blood for the past few hours. She just needed to cool down, and think.

Two years ago, when the Remnants attacked, Tifa had been caught off guard as she had thought the world had finally gained peace after the fall of Sephiroth and Meteor. Regardless to her desires however, they had all been forced to take up their weapons and fight yet again.

This time was no different.

No matter how hard you fight, no matter how hard you struggle to protect those you love, there would always be more fighting, more struggling. This is what she realized. There would never be permanent peace. Even if Reeve succeeded in bringing a new order to the world, someone…or some_thing_ would inevitably strike back, ridding peace yet again. She knew this was true, and she had accepted it.

But this time, Cloud wasn't here to comfort her, to tell her it was going to be okay. Cloud wasn't here to lead them into the fight. The last time she was forced to fight without Cloud nearby, she had been weak. She had lost to a Remnant. A single Remnant, when Cloud was able to take on all three of them at once.

Maybe it was time for her to find her own strength. Tifa had always depended on companionship and teamwork to overcome the struggles of fighting, but now, she was alone. This was _her _fight. Not Vincent's, not Yuffie's. It was hers.

She would bring back Cloud.

She would marry him.

She swore to herself.

As these thoughts encircled her mind, Tifa Lockhart didn't notice the distant hum of an airship approaching. She was crouching near the hatch, letting her thoughts take over, and was not aware of the fact that her fight was _now._ It wasn't until the _Shera_ was hovering straight above her that Tifa glanced up, her eyes emitting confusion and shock as a dark-haired man descended from the air, landing only yards away form where she stood.

At first, Venge hadn't recognized her.

At first, Tifa had no idea who he was.

At first, they merely gawked at each other, their gazes showing mixtures of attention and disbelief.

After a moment of utter silence, Venge was the first to react, his eyes widening and jaw dropping at the sight of Tifa Lockhart, appearing as if she had been _waiting_ for his arrival.

"Who are you?!" she snapped, her eyes full of suspicion.

Venge remained quiet, his left hand slowly reaching back for the pair of gloves in his back pocket.

Tifa had caught the act.

She immediately charged forward, swinging a bare fist at the man, but missed. Venge gritted his teeth and launched himself back. _This was **not** supposed to happen! She was **supposed** to be **sleeping!**_

Tifa relentlessly pushed forward, swinging, kicking, thrusting, and swiping, but all of her attacks were easily blocked or dodged by her foe. While they continued to clash, Tifa abruptly reached out, grabbing the man by his collar, tugging down and slamming her knee into his forehead, sending him flying back to a heap of rubble.

"Who are you?!" she yelled, approaching the fallen man.

Venge clutched his head with both hands, grimacing at the pain.

"This was _not_ supposed to _happen!"_

"_What_ was not supposed to happen?!"

Venge swiped a hand across his lips, tasting the blood at the tip of his tongue.

"It looks like I'll have to end it here and now," he muttered. "I'll kill you _now_, Tifa Lockhart!"

Tifa ducked low and missed the kick, pushing forward and ramming her shoulder into his other leg, but he swiftly regained his balance and came back with another counterattack. Using her forearms as shields, Tifa blocked the next four punches and retaliated with a thrust aimed at his chest. She missed. Tifa felt a hard blow to her jaw, but immediately caught his leg before he could finish the attack. She twisted the limb, sending him crashing to the ground, and slammed her spiked elbow into his shoulder.

Venge hissed in pain.

"Who _are _you?!" Tifa shouted, her elbow still pinned against his back.

"Shut up!" he screamed, struggling and writhing under her hold.

Tifa was about to say something, but she was interrupted by a sharp blow to the left side of her face, causing her to slam down next to her foe.

"Que'd! Are you alright?!"

Rosianna knelt down, resting her hand on the man's good shoulder.

"She was awake!" Venge yelled. "She was awake!"

Tifa shot back up to her feet, dashing forward for another attack, but instead, she was flown back by a large blast of fire, which smoldered the lower portion of her black top. Tifa clutched her side, groaning at the burning pain.

"Finish her!" Venge yelled. "Finish her _now!"_

Rosianna lifted her arm. The air around her began to swirl violently, heating up at a rapid pace and causing the rocks beneath her to redden. Tifa glanced up and gasped.

The entire vicinity of Sector Six illuminated at the fiery eruption of the blast, an ear-shattering roar trembling the very earth as a cloud of smoke and dust shrouded the area in a blinding mist.

Tifa opened her eyes.

She was still alive.

She looked up to see the silhouette of a man, long-haired. The man turned, crouching down next to her. It was Tseng.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Tifa nodded.

Tseng returned to his feet and gazed over his shoulder, straining his eyes to see through the dust.

When he was able to make out the face of the man Tifa had fought, Tseng gasped.

For it was not Venge, he saw.

It was his younger brother.

Que'd.


	11. Man With the Third Eye

**All But One**

**Man with the Third Eye**

_It never rained under the plate. The rays of the sun never struck the roofs, and snow was merely a myth to the people of the Slums. Despite the lack of precipitation, however, their vicinity was used as the sewage system for the Acropolis above, and deaths and disappearances were not a rare sight. People died from diseases, lack of sanitary water, and simply depression. It never rained under the plate, but everyday felt like a raging storm within the darkness of the Slums._

_During the stillness of the night, there was a single cry of a young child, his pleas and shouts echoing through the streets of Sector Seven._

"_Don't leave!" he cried, grasping the wrist of his older brother. "What about mom? She's sick! You can't just _leave _her!"_

_Tseng maintained his silence, his back facing the young child. He couldn't tell his brother why had to leave. Que'd was too young, too innocent to learn of such evil matters. Nevertheless, Tseng's heart was torn as the dark-haired child continued to weep behind him, pleading for him to stay home. _

"_You promised you'd take me to the Acropolis! You promised you'd take me to Mideel! You're a _liar_, Tseng!"_

_Que'd released his hold, swiping away angrily at the tears that poured down his cheeks. _

"_You're nothing but a liar."_

_Tseng turned, gentle eyes casting down on the drenched visage of his younger sibling, his only brother. _

"_I promised you I'd take you to Mideel," he said, his voice calm. "That's one promise I won't break."_

_Que'd gazed up, eyes still wavering. The two just stood there for a while, and stared, a pair of young, dark green eyes meeting the more aged, sharper ones. It wasn't long until Que'd began to cry again, trembling his hands and sniffling. _

"_Please don't leave, Tseng…"_

_The young teenaged boy turned away, trying hard to hold back his own tears. As he began to run from the shouts of his brother, as he began to flee from the place he once called home, Tseng let the tears roll out._

"_Goodbye, brother," he whispered. "Take care of mother for me."_

_That was the last time Que'd ever saw him._

-xXx-

The young boy who was once too innocent to learn of such _evil matters_ had grown up to become a man of vengeance, thriving off the need to fulfill his desires, corroding the hearts of his followers with his own lust for blood. As the heavy cloud of dust hovered away with the light breeze, the two brothers exchanged gazes, just like they did all those years ago, dark green eyes meeting the sharp ones.

Tifa let out a soft grunt. The pain from her burns had finally registered in her mind, and it was unbearable. She poked at the wrinkled, oozing skin at her side, hissing at the agonizing burns it caused. But then, something happened. The skin began to knit back together, smoothening out like creased fabric under a heated iron, vanquishing the pain and sizzling back to normality.

Tseng lowered his arm, which was casting a faint green glow—Restore materia he had salvaged from the men in the underground facility.

Tifa nodded in gratitude, but Tseng merely turned his gaze back to the distant man.

Venge was the first to speak.

"I must say…I didn't expect to ever see _you_ again."

Tseng remained silent.

"I see you're nothing but a dog of ShinRa, now. Tell me, brother. Is _this_ the reason why you left us all those years ago? To join the bastards who ruined our lives? To lend an extra hand in destroying the world?"

Tifa jerked her head back and forth, glancing at the two men in confusion. _These two are _brothers?!

"Mother and father were killed by that damn plate, ya know. At first, I thought it was those damned fools from AVALANCHE…" Venge paused, eyes still glaring furiously. "But I later learned that it was none other than the bastards at ShinRa."

Tseng shook his head.

"I called you that night—"

"Shut up!"

Venge clenched his fists, trembling in anger.

"You _left_ us, you son of a bitch! You _abandoned _mother! It's _your_ fault!"

He launched forward, thrusting his fist towards the Turk and slamming it straight into his chest. Tseng stepped back, but regained his posture, still staring.

"You _promised_ me you'd come back! You _lied! _I'll _kill_ you!"

Venge swung another fist at him, colliding it with his jaw and jerking him to the side.

"I was going to _marry_ someone, you know?! I had a _life! _You and your ShinRa _bastards_ took it all away!"

This time, Tseng caught the punch, glaring at the enraged man with piercing eyes.

"I was only trying to help."

Venge snatched away his arm, still glaring.

He said nothing.

Tseng said nothing.

They just stared.

-xXx-

_The Acropolis of Midgar was indeed an impressive sight. Large fountains of jetting water splashed down into crystal clear pools, birds chirping merrily on the stone statues that towered in the center. The buildings were massive, their heads scraping against the clouds above, and black columns of smoke rising high into the heavens. Newly modeled cars and vehicles honked madly in the trafficked streets, and the sidewalks were overloaded with men and women, each carrying a large suitcase in their hand. But for Tseng, it was the vast blue sky that left him in awe. The light was so bright; he was unable to gaze directly into the blinding illumination of the sun. _

"_Are you the new recruit?" a voice asked coldly._

_Tseng turned to see a large man in a black suit, his hair neatly slicked back and his eyes brimmed with small wrinkles._

"_I'm looking for a man named Verdot," Tseng said, gaze focused on the black tie._

"_That's me."_

_Tseng was a little shocked. He was expecting someone younger._

"_I hear you're an excellent fighter," Verdot said._

"_The man said he'd leave my family alone if I joined."_

_Verdot nodded. "I'll make sure your folks never see someone from ShinRa again."_

"_Will I ever be able to return home?"_

_The large man turned, waving his finger and signaling for him to follow._

"_Not likely."_

-xXx-

Tifa remained still, unsure of how to react to the current situation.

"Father owed ShinRa some money," Tseng continued, facing his brother. "Why do you think we were forced to move to Midgar, Que'd? Why do you think that we lived in poverty despite father's reputation as a doctor? ShinRa made a deal with him many years ago, but father was unable to pay off the debt. He began to work in the Slums, paying off the money slowly, but surely. But ShinRa was getting tired of waiting. A Turk came to our house one day, while you were sleeping. He said if father didn't pay up the full amount in a month, he'd kill him. Our parents kept it secret from us, but I had overheard. I made a deal with ShinRa. In exchange for my father's life, they said I'd have to join them. They said I had to become a Turk. For the sake of saving my family, I became a _murderer_. I became the very man I was trying to save father from."

Venge was speechless. He merely continued to glare at the calm face of his older brother.

"If there was _one_ thing I learned during my time with ShinRa, it was loyalty. I remained loyal to my superiors, but at the same time, I never betrayed my family, Que'd. I _called_ you that night. I told you to take mother out."

"You were too _late!"_ Venge cried, his voice ripping out harshly from his throat. "Our parents are _dead! _Don't try to justify your actions by giving me some lame excuse! It's _your_ fault!"

Tseng closed his eyes, sighing.

-xXx-

"_Tseng, your objective is to retrieve the Ancient."_

"_Sir, is it really wise to destroy an entire—"_

"_You have your mission, Field Leader. Now go."_

_Tseng bowed low and turned away from his boss, Heidegger. They were actually going to pull it off. They were actually planning to destroy Sector Seven._

_Upon exiting the room, Tseng immediately began to dash down the hall, flipping his phone open and pressing the speed dial. After three rings, Reno picked up._

"_Sup, chief?"_

"_Reno! Get me a chopper!"_

"_Whoa, what's the hurry—"_

"_Get me a chopper, Reno! I need to get to Aeris's house!"_

_Tseng returned the phone to his pocket and turned at the corner, smashing his finger rapidly at the down arrow of the elevator pad. Tseng knew that Aeris was a friend of Que'd. She sold flowers to him regularly, and she may be the only one who knew his phone number._

_There wasn't much time left._

-xXx-

"Why are you doing this, Que'd? What good would it do to kill others, just for the sake of—"

"Shut up! Don't lecture me about justice!"

Venge thrust his fist forward, but missed. He swung another kick and it was deflected by Tseng's forearm.

"Fighting me won't bring _mother_ back!"

"Don't talk about her, you bastard!"

Tseng ducked low, dodging another swing, and immediately rolled to the left to miss the added kick. He quickly reached out, grabbing Venge by the shoulder and pinned him in a tight headlock.

"Stop this, Que'd! What good will it do?!"

Venge slammed his elbow back, causing Tseng to release the hold.

"I said _shut up!"_

He spun quickly and unleashed a roundhouse kick to Tseng's jaw.

"I was going to let _Cloud_ kill you all! But it looks like _I'll_ have to do all the dirty work!"

Tifa let out a hiss and dashed forward, ramming her shoulder into his back and slamming her boot into his chest.

"Tifa! Stay back!" Tseng yelled, wiping a hand across his lips. "This is _my_ fight!"

Venge immediately threw himself onto the Turk, throwing punches and jabs at his face, but Tseng quickly retaliated with a strong tug, flipping him over and launching him across the heaps of rubble.

Venge rose to his feet, dusting off his chest.

"I hope you _suffer _for what you've done…"

Tseng glared back, his fists clenched.

-xXx-

_Pain was something he had acquainted himself with frequently within the past years. His encounter with Sephiroth in the Temple of the Ancients had nearly ended his life, but that was _nothing _compared to the torment he was currently receiving._

"_Where's Mother?!"_

_Tseng felt the burning electricity surge through his body, jolting every tendon, muscle and limb, ripping at every inch of his skin, and shredding his nerves in an excruciating pain. Nevertheless, he kept his gaze on the two silver-haired men, and spat to the side._

"_Your Mother's already waiting for you in hell," he muttered with a grin._

_The larger man with shorter hair was apparently irritated. He triggered the gadget on his arm, causing it to release twin spikes at the tip of his knuckles, and thrust it forward, impaling Tseng through his abdomen. The Turk let out a loud hiss, but he wasn't going to give in to the pain; he'd be damned to hell before telling these bastards anything._

"_Just tell us where Mother is, and all the pain will end," the long-haired man said, smirking._

_Tseng groaned slightly as the spikes were snatched out from his body, releasing a stream of blood._

"_Go to hell," he rasped._

_After what seemed like an eternity of hellish torture, the two men threatened shrugged off, turning their attention to the blonde Turk, Elena. Tseng let out a weak moan, but his body gave out._

_He heard the muffled scream of his partner, before passing out into a void of darkness._

_When Tseng woke, he registered that he was laying down on a soft surface, and much of his wounds were gone. _

"_They messed you up pretty bad."_

_Tseng turned his head._

_It was Vincent Valentine._

"_Where's Elena?" he asked, grimacing at the sores in his abdomen._

"_She's in the other room."_

_Vincent paced across the room, his gaze directed towards the window._

"_You can thank me later."_

_Tseng smirked and turned to the white ceiling above him._

"_Where are we?"_

"_Healin."_

"_How'd you know—"_

"_Elena's screaming could wake the dead," Vincent cut. "I've got to admit though, she's strong."_

_Tseng winced at the thought of Elena's torture, and sighed. _

"_This isn't the first time you were near death," Vincent said, heading towards the door. "Do you ever wonder why we suffer so much?"_

_Tseng closed his eyes._

"_Perhaps I am merely being punished for my sins."_

_Vincent stared._

_He was about to say something, but decided against it, and exited the room._

-xXx-

Tseng stared at his brother, his long hair ruffling gently against the wind.

Venge was the first to break the silence.

"Tell me, brother. Have you been keeping up with your training?" he asked, cracking his knuckles.

Tseng closed his eyes. "This is no time to—"

"Come! Come at me, brother! Show me what all the fuss was about! Let's see if the Third Eye can live up to its legend!"

Venge ripped the heavy cloak from his shoulders, revealing the torn linen cloth underneath.

"Is _that_ why ShinRa wanted you? Because of some damn myth?!"

Tseng shook his head.

The Third Eye, or the Mind's Eye, was a symbol of enlightenment in the old traditions of Wutai. Though the practice was ceased after Godo's defeat in the war, some of the elders of the village continued to meditate on the training, sometimes even sharing their wisdom with people of other origins, and teaching them the way of enlightenment. It is said that the Third Eye is only passed on to people of strong wisdom and inner power, and that through years of meditation, the Third Eye can be used to execute incredible feats in a physical confrontation. Tseng never revealed whether or not his was merely a birthmark or if it was given to him by an elder of Wutai, but his abilities with the Third Eye were renowned throughout the lands.

"Show me, brother! Show me, and I will reveal to you what _I_ have learned from Zangan!"

Tifa gasped. During her fight with Venge, she had noticed his familiar technique, but she never expected to duel with another student of Zangan.

"Come on, Tseng! Our fight is inevitable!"

Tifa stepped back, her eyes widening as an eerie glow began to radiate around the Turk's forehead.

Tseng kept his eyes closed. He no longer required their vision.

His Third Eye had opened.


	12. In Strife

**All But One**

**In Strife**

_On a normal day, he'd arrive at around eight or nine—eleven at the latest. The sky would be an inky black and the temperature would be in the low forties by the time he got home. On a normal day, he'd casually walk in, get a hug from Marlene and maybe even a high five from Denzel. They'd ramble on and on about the huge spider that was in their room, and how Denzel bravely smashed it with Tifa's old combat boots. On a normal day, Tifa would join him at the table while he ate the dinner she'd saved for him, telling him about the stories she'd heard from the patrons and how he needed to remember that Denzel's birthday was coming up. _

_That's what would happen on a normal day._

_Unfortunately, Cloud knew that something was wrong. He got home at around seven-thirty, which was _not_ normal. Marlene and Denzel didn't greet him at the door—another _abnormal_ feature. But worst of all, Tifa didn't even turn to acknowledge his return while she stood in the kitchen, her back turned towards him. _

_Cloud walked up, a little perplexed. Maybe she had a bad day. Maybe the kids were too scared to come out since they knew Tifa was angry. Yeah, that was probably it. Cloud figured he should at least attempt to cheer her up, maybe tell her how beautiful she looked today, or make up a few funny stories to try and get a laugh out of her. Too bad he sucked at telling jokes._

_He walked up, placing his bag on the floor, and wiping off the bottom of his boots on the door mat. There was a strange, unfamiliar scent in the bar, which was strange because Tifa usually sprayed the place with air fresheners to take out the smell of alcohol. As he walked up to the still-silent, still-unmoving Tifa, Cloud saw a glimpse of red on the tiled kitchen floor. Was this _blood?_ He felt a shiver go up his spine, and moved hesitantly, cautious not to upset Tifa. Did she get hurt? He reached out and placed his hand against her shoulder, and tugged gently to face her._

_He felt as if he choked on his own heart._

_Her face was distorted, gashes and cuts crisscrossing over her skin and blood trickling down in webs across the full length of her visage. Her mouth hung open, and more blood oozed out from her bottom lip. Her hair was tangled and uneven, her neck and chest soaked in liquid red. _

"_Y-you…" she began to rasp, her voice toneless and harsh. "You promised…"_

_Cloud stepped back, shaking his head violently, his hands and knees trembling in a confused mixture of fear and disbelief. This couldn't be happening. What the hell was going on?_

"_I told you," a voice said from behind. _

_Cloud jerked around, his eyes widening at the grinning face of the familiar man._

"_I told you…I'd never become a memory…"_

_---_

_He was breathing heavily, his face cold with sweat and throat burning uncomfortably. He felt a warm hand press against his chest and cracked an eye open to see the beautiful face of Tifa Lockhart, her tired, wine-colored eyes concerned and worried._

"_It's alright, Cloud. It was just a nightmare."_

_Cloud said nothing. _

_This was not the first time he had dreamt of _him._ He never told Tifa about these dreams, how they haunted him everywhere he went, how they engulfed his mind when he was alone. Ever since that last battle with the man of his nightmares, Cloud lived in a world of fear and paranoia, unable to let go of the last words that had been spoken to him._

_Tifa spent the rest of the night next to him, wrapping her arms around his trembling form and whispering comfort into his ear. _

_But nothing she said would make his fear go away. Nothing she did could take away the last promise Sephiroth had made to him. _

"_I will never become a memory."_

-xXx-

The bright fluorescent lights were a little irritating to his mako-infused eyes, so he flicked down the switch, causing the area to black out into a void of darkness. The sixty-fourth floor of the WRO Headquarters now reeked with the fresh stench of spilled blood. The cubicles and desks had been decimated in a matter of minutes, and the lifeless corpses of the security guards were piled up in a heap on the far corner of the room. As he wiped the blood from his single-edged katana, Cloud Strife was completely void of emotions. He felt no remorse for the murders of these security guards, only a slight discomfort at the smell that filled his nostrils.

"Cloud, they aren't here."

Cid Highwind returned from Commissioner Tuetsi's office, his hands trembling slightly from the lack of nicotine. He briefly glanced at the pile of bodies, but he could hardly make it out in the pitch black room.

"The files aren't here. We'll have to contact him."

Cloud nodded and sheathed his blade, walking over the shattered remnants of a computer and picking up the wired phone on one of the desks. After a few rings, he heard the voice of a woman.

"Who is this?"

Cloud lowered his brows. "Put Venge on."

"He's a little busy at the moment. This is Rosianna. Did you find it?"

"No. It's not here."

He heard a deep sigh.

"Reeve must've hidden them, then. It doesn't matter. I just wanted to make sure, since all I got was a brief glimpse over those files, but I think we can manage without them."

"Did you get one of them?" Cloud asked.

"No. The girl was awake. Venge is dealing with them right now, but it won't be easy taking one of them as hostage, as he originally planned."

"Who else is there?"

"A Turk. I recognize him as the field leader from when I was with ShinRa. I think his name's Tseng."

Cloud closed his eyes. "The plan won't work if you don't get one of them. Don't bother with the Turks; it'll have to be an AVALANCHE member. You'll have to sneak up on the woman and take her hostage." Cloud felt a little strange calling Tifa "the woman." Still, he continued. "What's happening right now?"

"The Turk's forehead is glowing. I don't know what the hell's up with that, but Venge seems to be pretty excited about it."

"What about the woman? What's _she_ doing?"

"She's just watching from the side."

Cloud rubbed his chin, formulating a strategy in his mind. "Okay, listen. Don't worry about that glowing forehead thing."

"But Venge says it's some kind of techni—"

"Get Venge to distract him, while you capture the woman. With her as your hostage, the others will hold back."

"Alright. Um…Rufus is taking the airship to your location now. Get on board, and return here, just in case we need some help."

Cloud was about to hang up, but stopped when he heard her voice again.

"Oh, and Strife."

"What?"

"The commissioner. Is he dead?"

Cloud paused, a portrait of Reeve Tuetsi's face flashing in his mind.

"Yes," he said, "He should be dead."

-xXx-

Tifa watched in bewilderment as the small dot on Tseng's forehead began to radiate in a strange golden glow. She always questioned if it was a mere religious symbol, since his affiliation with ShinRa forced him to do some rather _unreligious _deeds. Vincent suggested it had something to do with enlightenment, whereas Nanaki had once told her about certain techniques used to communicate through telepathy. Regardless to these assumptions, Tifa knew that right now, it was lighting up freakishly as if he had a flashlight impaled into his head. On top of all this, the crazy bastard who was fighting with Tseng had claimed to be a student of Zangan. She knew Tseng was a formidable fighter, considering his rank with the Turks, but was he a match for Zangan's apprentice?

This was all so confusing. The whole "he's my brother" ordeal, the fact that _Que'd,_ or whatever his name was, knew her name, and now this completely weird thing Tseng was doing with his forehead.

Tifa sighed. Maybe the lack of sleep had finally gotten to her. Maybe all she needed was to get some rest, and she'd wake up in the morning completely sane again. Maybe all this was just some kind of freak dream.

"What the hell are you waiting for, Tseng?! Come at me!"

What was this guy's problem? He had just gotten his ass kicked by Tifa a few minutes ago, and now he was provoking the field leader of the Turks into a fight.

She had to admit, it was a little awkward just standing there, watching as these two _brothers_ stared at each other, one of them shouting out random curses and taunts, while the other one's forehead was glowing. She shook her head. It was _official._ She needed to get some damn sleep.

Tifa stepped forward, unwilling to sit around any more and watch like some spectator in a Chocobo Race.

Then, she felt the cold edge of a knife press against her throat.

Damn. The surprises were just stacking up today.

"Hold still, or you lose your head."

It sounded like that woman from before, the one who had pretty much _fried_ Tifa.

"What do you _want?"_ Tifa asked, her voice sounding more annoyed than frightened.

Rosianna pressed the blade tighter, ignoring the strangled protests of her hostage and shouting out at the two men afar. "Venge! I've got her! Let's go!"

Que'd turned. "Hold on! I'm not through here!"

"We _have _to go! They're coming!"

"Let me _kill_ this bastard first!"

Tseng stepped forward, finally opening his eyes and the glow from his Third Eye diminished. "Is this all for revenge?" he asked. "All the abductions, all the killing and conspiring. Were all these just for the sake of your own little revenge?"

"Shut up! Let's end this here!"

Tseng shook his head. "You seem to have been mistaken, younger brother. The practice of using the Third Eye as a weapon in combat was ceased long ago."

Que'd gaped, baring his teeth. "Then what the hell were you just doing?!"

Tseng grinned. "How do you think I obtained my rank as field leader of the Turks in such a short time? My ability to read people's minds was apparently a much-needed tool for ShinRa." He paused, glancing back at Tifa who was still struggling with the other woman. "Just forget it, Que'd. Your plan isn't going to work."

"Shut up!"

"Do you _really _think she'd want all this? Lillia. Do you think she's happy with what you're doing?"

"I said _shut up,_ you bastard! Don't you _dare_ speak her name!"

Tifa tried to wriggle free, and even considered elbowing her captor, but decided against it as the blade pushed harder against her skin.

"Killing us isn't going to make a difference, Que'd. Taking Tifa and watching her get killed by Cloud is _not_ going to change how you feel. Taking the lives of the people who caused your pain _won't _change anything. There's nothing to gain out of this nonsense. You won't feel any more satisfied. Just stop this."

Que'd grinned, his lips curving up in amusement. "Brother. Perhaps you should check up on that _mind-reading_ trick of yours. I think it needs a little fine-tuning."

Tseng shut his eyes. "I know what you're trying to do, Que'd. I know you're going to take Tifa to Cloud so you can watch him kill her."

Que'd's smirk widened.

"I know you're going to kill the rest of us, just for your own satisfaction and revenge. But do you _really_ think it'll make you feel any different?"

"Your ignorance amuses me, brother. Any fool could have figured all that out. Do you _really _think I'm doing all this just for the sake of revenge?" He let out a harsh laugh. "Yes, it's true. I _did_ want to see her die at the hands of her lover. But trust me, brother, there's a _lot_ more to this than that bullshit."

Rosianna stepped forward, still holding Tifa in her grasp. "Venge! We _have_ to get out of here! The others are probably awake from that last explosion!"

"Que'd, please. I'm begging you as your brother. Put an end to all this. It doesn't have to go any further."

"Give Barret my regards, brother. It's a shame his part in the plan failed."

Que'd backed down, still grinning. "Maybe I'll have _you_ kill that damned president when all this is over."

Tseng stepped forward, fists clenched.

"Take another step and the girl loses her head!" Rosianna shrieked, pulling back as the distant hum of the _Shera_ approached from the horizon.

Tseng cursed. There was no way for him stop Que'd without getting Tifa hurt. And where'd they get that damn airship? "Que'd! What the hell is all this for?! Why are you doing this?!"

"Why don't you _read_ my mind and find out?" Que'd taunted as he joined the two women at the base of the hill.

Tseng watched helplessly as Tifa and her captors were pulled up to the airship.

He had no idea where they were going.

-xXx-

Tifa wiped her fingers across her throat, wincing at the slight sting from the cut it bore. The inside of the _Shera_ was no different than it had been two years ago, save for its crew. Unfamiliar men dressed in WRO Uniforms were occupied at the control panels, tapping away at the switches and gears, while one of them was steering at the back. She noticed one particular man, dressed in white, standing near the glass shield with his back towards her. There was only one person in the world who always wore a white suit.

"Rufus? What are—"

"Shut up," Que'd snapped from behind, knocking her to the side and joining the president at the cockpit.

Tifa gritted her teeth, enraged. This bastard was going to pay for all this. She clenched her fist and swung hard at the man's back, sending him crashing down to the floor, and quickly leapt onto him, thrusting her fists furiously at his face, cracking his nose and smashing his jaw in relentless rage. By the time she was wrestled off by the other men, Tifa had left Que'd with a bloodied face.

"I'll _kill_ you, you bastard! Where's Cloud?! Where _is_ he?!"

Tifa managed to wriggle out from the men's holds, and shoved them off. "Where's my _fiancée?! _I'll kill all of you if you don't answer me!"

Que'd groaned loudly as he clutched at his face, and Rosianna quickly took him to the back of the cockpit. Tifa was still circled by his men, but she was willing to kill them all. She ducked low to miss the first punch, and thrust an uppercut towards the man's chin, and immediately spun around with a hard kick to his companion.

"Where the _hell_ is Cloud?!"

From the back of the airship, a blonde-haired man stepped out from the darkness, his hand clutching the wooden scabbard of a katana. He took a deep breath.

"I'm here."


	13. One Last Chase

**All But One**

**One Last Chase**

Darkness was all that greeted his wakening. Darkness, and the sweet fragrance of shampooed hair.

He shifted his head and strained his crimson eyes in the black void to see a bundle of shoulder-length hair, dark and soft, pressed gently against his shoulder. Vincent wasn't used to having company during his sleep, but for some reason, he didn't mind too much having Yuffie watch over him as he slept through his recovery. He inhaled another whiff of the shampoo, and couldn't help but wonder how her hair could still smell so good after all that fighting.

She was actually not all that bad when she was sleeping. She was _quiet_, for one thing, which wasn't very much _Yuffie_ at all.

Vincent flexed his muscles slowly, stretching out his limbs and wincing at the sores on his chest and shoulders. Getting shot was something he had gotten used to, considering his former reputation with the Turks, and not to mention his previous "death" at the hands of Hojo. But he sure as hell didn't ever expect to take bullets from Barret Wallace.

The wounds were all healed now, though he could still feel the irritating sores where they had torn through his skin. Some people would envy him for this ability, this _immortality._ Personally, Vincent felt that he had cheated death too many times.

He returned his glance to the slumbering girl that was leaned onto his bed. A portion of her hair was draped down onto her lips. Vincent reached out his human arm and brushed it away, feeling the soft texture of her skin beneath his fingers. He was a little startled when she winced at his touch, shifting in her uncomfortable position and smacking her lips a few times before returning to a deep slumber.

She had told him about Barret's victimization under the influence of that strange materia, which made him ponder. Earlier today (or was it yesterday now?), when he and Elena had uncovered the newly condensed materia from the ruins, he had noticed a strange presence within the red materia. It was as if something was inside. Something strangely familiar.

Vincent was no expert on the study of the Lifestream, or the condensation of Mako energy, but he knew a little thing or two about demonic presences within a contained form. Didn't Yuffie call it the _Blindsight_ materia? Whatever it was, there was something unnatural about it. For one thing, _red_ materia usually possessed summoning properties, not the ability to suck out emotions.

Vincent rose, and gently lifted Yuffie from her chair, placing her carefully onto the bed and pulling up the sheets that he had kicked down, and tucked it over her shoulders. He needed some fresh air after all that sleeping.

His eyes had adapted to the darkness, so he didn't have too much trouble finding the heavy red cloak that hung limply from the doorknob. He placed the new weight over his shoulders, brushing off some of the stains and dust he saw on it.

The hallway was dark and silent, except for Reno's snoring, which he could hear from three doors down. Vincent made his way through the corridor, glaring through the inky black void and placing his hand on the wall so he wouldn't run into anything.

That's when he heard it.

The entire facility rumbled violently at the loud explosion from the surface, causing Vincent to tumble a few times before regaining his balance. Well, what the _hell_ was that?

Vincent turned to check up on Yuffie, and ran back to the room. She was awake now, eyes wide and confused.

"What _was_ that?!"

Vincent shook his head. "I'll go check it out."

Barret's voice called out from the hallway.

"Hey! Where the hell's Tifa?!"

Vincent quickly exited the room and saw that Barret, too, had risen from his sleep.

"Oh, damn. Long time no see, Vince."

"Good to see you, too."

"Hey listen…um…sorry about shooting you and everything."

Vincent grinned. "Just glad it wasn't the other way around."

"Hell, man, that gun of yours would've blown my damn head off."

Reno and Rude came out from their rooms, soon joined by Yuffie and Elena.

"Anyone know what the _hell_ just happened?!" the red-headed Turk yelled, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Sounded like a god damn Mako explosion!"

Elena shrugged. "I don't know. Your _snoring_ seemed a lot louder than that."

"Hey, where's Tifa?"

"Where's the chief?"

Vincent shook his head. "I'll go check it out."

"Hell no, you ain't goin' alone! I'm goin' witchu!"

Yuffie nodded. "So am I!"

"Listen, ya bastards," Reno cut again. "We're _all_ going! Now everyone get your damn weapons and gather the useable materia from Barret's room. I call dibs on the Contain and Deathblow!"

Rude scowled. "You don't even _need_ Deathblow!"

"Oh, shove off!"

Vincent and Barret hastily made their way into the medical room, grabbing two or three of the materia that Elena had deciphered a few hours ago, and applying them into their systems. Vincent felt his muscles expand and contract as the Speed Plus boosted his mesomorphic build, as well as decreasing his lactic acid production, allowing him to run for a much longer time span. The HP Plus thickened his skin, and increased the effectiveness of his immune system and regeneration process. That was all he needed.

He pulled out Cerberus from his holster and cocked it with a movement of his thumb, and led his teammates back out into the hallway after they had finished retrieving their equipment.

Tifa and Tseng were still missing, though Vincent had a feeling _they_ had something to do with that last explosion.

"Is everyone ready?" he asked bluntly, loading his gun with more bullets.

"No offense, Valentine, but…" Reno walked up, tapping his metal rod against his shoulder. "Don't be expecting _too_ much action when you're on the same side as _me._ I'll try not to hog all the fun!"

"Oh shut the hell up! How many times did you guys even beat us when we were against each other? _None!_ _Zero! Nada!"_ This was obviously Yuffie speaking.

"All yaw shut up! Quit the damn talking and let's _go!"_

Barret led the way down the hall, heaving his massive gun arm, while his human one radiated multiple colors from the materia.

Reno couldn't help but grin widely. Finally, some frikkin' _action!_

-xXx-

Tifa felt her hands trembling.

It was really him. After an entire month of searching, after all the worrying, the confusion and the fighting, she finally found him.

They stared at each other for a while, Venge's groans of pain still echoing from the back.

But she couldn't remain still or silent for long.

Tifa ran up, embracing the man she loved with all her strength, letting the tears run freely as she finally reunited with Cloud Strife, the person she'd devoted all her love and attention to for the past four years, no, _longer_ than that. All the fighting had been worth this moment. All the confusion and anger, all the pain and worrying, it had all been worth it. The past month had been too long, every passing hour and day had felt like an eternity without Cloud. But now, finally, she was with him again. It didn't matter what was going to happen next. It didn't matter if Venge had her killed. As long as she was with Cloud, she was willing to take anything.

"I missed you," she whispered, strengthening her embrace.

But Cloud only responded with silence.

-xXx-

Vincent knew something was wrong. He could tell by the expression on Tseng's face. Something had happened. Someone had been here.

"Chief! Where's Tifa?!"

Tseng remained silent, still glaring into the cloudless void above.

"Tseng. We need to know what happened."

"Chief! Did you see the boss?! Was the president here?!"

"They took her."

Vincent lowered his brows. "_Who_ took her?"

Tseng closed his eyes, letting his long hair flow freely with the wind. "It's over. They have her, and I don't know where they're going. It's all finished."

"What the hell are you talkin' about, chief?!"

"The president. Cloud. Tifa. They're all as good as dead."

Barret stepped forward, grabbing the Turk by his collar and glaring at his face through cold, angered eyes. "Listen to me, ya son of a bitch. I don't give a _damn_ what you think. Cloud and Tifa are _not_ going to die. Now tell me what the _fuck_ just happened."

Tseng lowered his eyes, pulling free from his grasp and straightening out the tie around his neck. "Why can't you understand what I'm saying? It's _useless!_ Nothing we do can stop them!"

Yuffie hissed. "I _knew_ you Turks were just a bunch of bastards working for another paycheck! That's what this was all about, wasn't it?! You thought if you saved the president, you'd get a _raise!_ Well _guess _what?! Those bastards have Cloud and Tifa, and if you don't help us find them, we'll kill _you_ as well!"

Elena and Rude grimaced.

"I swear to God, Turk," Barret growled, his glare still fierce. "If something happens to Tifa, I'm blaming _you._ Now if you don't tell me what just happened up here, I'mma shove this fuckin' gun up your ass."

Vincent's gaze was just as piercing.

With a deep sigh, Tseng began to tell them of his brother, and his unquenchable thirst for vengeance.

-xXx-

"Cloud, say something. Why aren't you—"

"He's got nothing to say to you," Venge snapped, pressing the towel against his nose. "He doesn't give a _shit_ about you anymore."

Tifa ignored him. "Cloud! Cloud, it's me! Tifa!"

"Your presence means _nothing_ to—"

"Shut up!" Tifa yelled, still clutching Cloud's wrists.

She could see the strange emptiness in his eyes, and it discomforted her. But she what she _didn't_ see was the red glow emitting from his arm under the dark sleeve.

"Cloud, _talk_ to me!"

The blonde man merely stared back, a little irritated at her endless ramble.

"Everyone was looking for you, Cloud." Tifa felt another tear roll down. "Everyone was so worried. Even the Turks…"

Cloud felt his finger twitch.

"What's wrong with you? It's me! Tifa!"

"I told you! He doesn't _care!"_ Venge shrieked, wincing at the pain on his face.

"Cloud. They put that _thing_ in you, didn't they? Here, give me your arm, I'll take it out."

Cloud pulled back, shoving her away and glaring.

"Cloud! You _have_ to get that thing out! They put it in Barret, too! Come on, Cloud, let me—"

Tifa tumbled backwards, falling to the hard floor. Cloud now had his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"What are you _doing?!_ Wake up, Cloud! Wake up!"

Tifa watched in horror as he slowly pulled out the katana from the scabbard.

-xXx-

Reno cursed, slamming his metal rod onto a large boulder and causing small sparks to fly out in response. "Well how the hell are we s'pposed to find them?! Where the hell would they take them?!"

"That's what we're trying to figure out, here, idiot," Yuffie muttered, rolling her eyes.

Barret was sitting on the rubble, his arms placed over his knees. There was no way they could track down the bastards. On top of that, they didn't even have a damn plane or anything to chase them. Maybe Tseng was right. Maybe it _was_ over.

He cursed, smashing a rock with his prosthetic and shattering it into dust. If there was one thing he hated most, it was being absolutely helpless. It was a feeling all too familiar to him. He had been helpless to save Corel from ShinRa, he'd been helpless to save his wife Myrna, and he'd been helpless to save Dyne. The anger began to boil up again, and Barret could feel another scream welling up under his throat.

"What the _fuck_ are we supposed to do?!"

Vincent stepped forward, reaching into his cloak and pulling out his phone. It had been out of service most of their time in Midgar. Cid was their only hope in locating their enemies, but even now, the damn phone wasn't working. They really _were_ helpless.

Barret shook his head. "I can't believe I didn't see this coming. I can't believe I _let_ that bastard take me!"

"Barret, you didn't know—"

"Tifa's gone now! Cloud is _fuckin'_ gone! And all we can do is just sit around like a bunch of helpless fools!"

"I told you," Tseng muttered. "Que'd had this whole damn thing planned out from the beginning. But why didn't he take anyone else? He could've taken _me_ if he wanted."

"Well you said he wanted to watch Tifa die at Cloud's hands," Yuffie said, crouched low near Vincent. "So since you read his mind and everything, what exactly does that Blindsight thing do, anyways?"

Tseng sighed. "Que'd didn't know much about it, only that it wipes out the host's emotions."

"I know what it does," Elena cut. "I scanned Barret's with the MD before we all went to sleep."

"Well what does it do?"

"Like Tseng said, it takes away emotions, but not all of them. It leaves one. The one emotion that dominates the person's mind. When Barret had the materia in him, he was so angry at the lie that Marlene and Tifa had been killed—that's why he attacked Yuffie. He was blinded by the one emotion he had left: anger."

Vincent nodded. "I see."

"Well that doesn't really help much in this damn situation," Barret growled.

"Actually. It does." This was Vincent again. "Let's just hope that Cloud's single emotion is his love for Tifa. It's the only thing that would keep her alive."

As they continued to speak through the night, Rude noticed the distant hum of a helicopter approaching from the sky. He pulled off his sunglasses, straining his eyes and beckoning his companions to watch.

"Look! Look, there!"

Vincent raised his brow. It was definitely a helicopter.

"Get ready!" Reno shouted, raising his rod. "It's probably the rest of them, coming to finish us off!"

"Let the bastards come," Barret scowled.

"No, it's not them."

Vincent strained his eyes.

He could see the small form of a man waving his arm from inside the chopper.

"It's the WRO Commissioner. Looks like we're going to save Tifa after all."


	14. Jenova's Will

**All But One**

**Jenova's Will**

Reno's hair ruffled violently under the spinning tantrum of the helicopter blades, the tips of his spikes poking against his skin, and his ponytail wriggling madly like a floating snake. He was the last to enter, so he shut the door behind him, and sighed as the thunderous noise of the chopper died down behind the hatch. Everyone was cramped inside, especially Barret, who had to lean his head to the side.

Vincent was sitting next to Rude, and holstered his gun. "Reeve. How did you—"

"I'll explain everything on the way. We've no time to waste." He turned his head towards Barret. "It's good to see you're alright, Barret."

"I'm fine, Reeve. But how the hell did you know we were here?"

The commissioner cleared his throat, twisting around and leaning towards the pilot. "If it wasn't for Shera, here, I'd _never_ have found you guys."

Shera Highwind waved a hand slightly, but quickly returned to piloting the now-airborne chopper.

"Shera's here?! But she's _pregnant!" _Yuffie squealed, shoving Barret's massive arm from her shoulder.

Reeve nodded. "Yes, but apparently Cid's been taken by someone."

Barret flinched. Those bastards were just taking _everyone_ one by one.

Tseng closed his eyes. "Reeve, tell us what you know."

The commissioner nodded. "A few hours ago, I saw Cloud and Cid heading out of the _Shera._ At first, I didn't know what was going on, but then this strange man followed behind them. He seemed to know who I was. That's when I caught a glimpse of the red glow in Cid's arm."

Yuffie's eyes widened. "They put it in Cid, too?! How many of those things do those materia do they have?!"

"I'll explain everything, Yuffie, just let me continue."

She nodded.

"The man summoned a rather hideous creature of sorts, and it attacked me. I managed to survive a near-fatal blow to my head thanks to Cait. He showed up with some materia, and we barely escaped alive." He grinned. "Remind me to help repair the damages done to Edge Turn Mall when all this is over. Anyways, shortly after, I received a call from Shera, asking if I knew what happened to Cid. Apparently, there was some kind of ruckus in Rocket Town."

Yuffie nodded. "Yeah, I remember hearing about that from when I was spying in the facility."

"Indeed. I've been having some strange thoughts lately about a series of incidents I never informed you of. If you can recall the events of Meteorfall four years ago, I said I'd take the civilians to a hidden underground shelter. My stay there was short, but I managed to find a couple of classified files that ShinRa had apparently been keeping secret."

Barret lowered his brows and clenched his fists. Why was he _not_ surprised at the mention of more ShinRa secrets?

"According to these documents, Hojo's Jenova Reunion Theory did not end with the mere injection of Jenova cells into his subjects. No, it was beyond that."

"God damn it," Reno hissed. "I never liked that son of a bitch in the first place."

"He apparently went as far as mixing the cells with a small concentration of Mako, and condensed them into what he called the 'Blindsight materia.'"

"That's what Que'd's been using on Cloud and the others," Tseng interrupted.

Reeve nodded, "I only managed to find one of these _Blindsight_ materia, but I took it with me, and later had my WRO Science Department study the strange specimen."

"Elena deciphered their properties with an MD," Reno said, "Apparently it like sucks out your damn emotions or something."

"Yes, and _my _team ended up with similar results." Reeve paused, brushing his thumb against his thickening goatee. "However, just a few months ago, one of the researchers made a rather…_disturbing_ discovery."

"What?" Yuffie asked, resting her hands on her knees.

"Do you remember the Huge Materia we left with Bugenhagen four years ago?"

Vincent felt an unsettling chill go up his spine.

"Do you remember how one of our materia _reacted_ to them?" Reeve asked, his voice low and soft. "One of my researchers took the Blindsight materia to the Huge Materia." Another pause. "It reacted."

Barret's eyes widened. "Well, what the hell happened?!"

Reeve turned his gaze towards him. "Where's Tifa?"

"She was taken by Que'd," Tseng answered.

"Who's Que'd?"

"He's the one who attacked you."

Reeve closed his eyes. "Tell me, what did he say before taking Tifa?"

"I read his mind, actually. I saw what his intentions were, how he wanted to have revenge for something from his past. His lover was killed in Sector Seven. But he said I was wrong. He said there was something else."

A cold line of sweat traced down Reeve's forehead. He began to shake his head, slowly. "Dear God," he muttered. "This is bad."

-xXx-

Tifa had put up quite a fight, but in the end, she had been overpowered. The shackles that had once held Cid Highwind were now securely wrapped around her wrists, and she could only wait in the darkness of the room as the airship continued to make towards its next destination, though Tifa didn't have the slightest clue of where that could be.

All she could think about was the eerie emptiness that had shrouded Cloud's eyes. The way they pierced through her, emotionless and cold, it robbed her of any hope she had left. They were once calm and warm, but now they sent shivers down her spine.

"_Goodness! Watch where you're going, girl!" he yelled, stomping off. She lowered her head apologetically, and reached down for the bag when she saw another hand grab it. She looked up to see Cloud._

"_Need a hand with these?" he asked, taking the bags from her hand and opening an umbrella to shield her from the downpour. She smiled._

"_Thanks Cloud."_

After all she and her companions had been through to save him, it had only ended up in betrayal. Cloud was no longer the man she once loved and cared for. He was only Cloud in appearance, nothing more than a heartless shell, obeying the orders of his _new_ companion. Still, Tifa found it hard to grasp.

_Tifa had been in love with the ocean ever since her childhood. She remembered the conversation she had with Cloud when they first began to settle down in Edge. He'd asked her what she would wish for if she could have anything in the world. She told him she wanted to live near the ocean. _

_There was a small tag hanging loosely from the corner of the tank. Tifa smiled as she read the note inside._

"_To: Tifa_

_From: Cloud_

_Couldn't get you the ocean, _

_But I hope this'll suffice._

_Happy Birthday, Tifa!"_

Was this how it was going to end? Was this what they'd been fighting for this whole time? Just to be betrayed by the very people they'd been desperately trying to save? What about the promises he had made with her? What happened to the cocky Cloud that always told her it was going to be okay?

He'd always denied it, but to Tifa, Cloud was always the infallible hero, always there to stop trouble, always there to save his friends from harm. She had witnessed his victory over Sephiroth, she'd _seen_ him overcome his own tormenting demons.

How could he lose to his own emotions?!

Tifa tugged hard at the shackles, wincing slightly as her skin pulled back against the metal rings.

There had only been one time when Cloud was _not_ the infallible hero. But even then, even when he had been plagued by the Mako poisoning, she had been able to bring him back! She was able to _help_ him!

_Cloud frowned. _

"_Well I guess I'm gonna have to say this, then…" he said, his cheeks slowly reddening. _

"_The promise we made when we were young…I mean, not that we aren't young now, but—"_

"_Yeah, the promise. What about it?"_

_Cloud swallowed. "I promised you I'd be there for you, right?"_

_Tifa nodded. _

"_I want you to make that same promise for me."_

_Tifa's heart stopped. _

_Cloud got up from his seat, and knelt down, pulling out a small box from his pocket. _

"_Tifa Lockhart. Will you marry me?"_

She heard the door creak open, and winced at the bright light that pierced through the crack. The woman who had captured her was standing in the light, fists resting on her hips.

"We're here," she said. "If you cooperate, your death will be quick."

Tifa spat to the side. "I'm not doing _anything _to help you."

Rosianna's lips curled up. "Don't worry, no one wants you to help anyone. All we need is for you to do is cooperate." She stepped forward and leaned over to release the chains from the wall, but Tifa was still unable to move, since her wrists and ankles were still shackled.

"Where are we?" she asked.

The woman regained her posture, raising a finger and signaling for her to follow. "We're in Cosmo Canyon."

-xXx-

"Shera! Can't this thing go any faster?! We need to—"

"Calm down, Reeve. Cid's specialties are _airships_, not helicopters. We're going as fast as it'll allow."

Reeve sighed.

"Yo, Tuetsi! You wanna tell us what the hell happened when it reacted?" Barret grunted, arms crossed.

Reeve turned back towards the group, sighing again. "Physically, the Lifestream is just a river of green ethereal energy, holding the lifeblood and even the spirit of the Planet. When an organism dies, all of its memories and consciousness are returned to the Planet in the form of the Lifestream, and so the memories of that individual live on through the Planet."

"I _know_ all that! Will you just—"

"When the Lifestream is converted into Mako, and when the Mako is condensed into materia, all of the knowledge and memories are passed down and contained in the small crystallized orb. But in his experimentations with the Jenova Project, Hojo injected Jenova cells into these Mako energies, consequently mixing the will of Jenova with the memories of the Planet." He turned, gazing out at the darkness through the window. "The Huge Materia we left in Bugenhagen's house are highly refined and condensed Mako, and can even cause other materia to react. When Hojo's Blindsight materia was reacted with Huge Materia, it caused the Jenova cells to react violently."

He paused, and returned his gaze to the group. "We deciphered the new properties, and the results weren't pretty. Apparently, it became a summon materia, and was able to reanimate the Lifestream into an entity of the past."

Barret lowered his brow. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"It _means,_ it can summon people from the dead."

Tseng nodded.

It was all clear to him now. Que'd's intentions, his reasons in capturing Cloud and Rufus, his purpose in taking Tifa, they all made sense. While he kept Tseng and the others busy in their search for Cloud and Rufus, Que'd's intentions were to resurrect his lover through the reaction of the Blindsight materia. He needed Tifa to act as his hostage so he could get to the Huge Materia without much trouble. He had somehow learned about the Huge Materia, probably through some kind of leak in the WRO Database, or maybe even through one of his people.

"He's going to revive Lillia."

Yuffie and Elena frowned. "But that's—"

"It won't work," Reeve cut.

"Why not? You said it yourself, it'll act as a summon materia to bring back the—"

"It won't work because of Jenova's will. Don't you get it? The memories of the Lifestream are meant to _stay_ with the Lifestream. When you die, let's say you end up in some kind of heaven, or paradise. Do you think you'd want to come back to this Planet? I don't."

Reno shrugged, tapping the rod against the sole of his shoes. "What're you saying, man?"

"I'm saying that only someone who _wants_ to come back would respond to the materia's call."

There was a brief silence within the helicopter, and only the occasional beeps from Shera's control panels broke the quietness.

Reeve shook his head. "Who's the only person that would _want_ to come back?"

Yuffie raised a finger slightly. "Aeris?"

"No," Reeve snapped. He turned his head and gazed out the window, watching as his breath fogged up against the glass.

"Sephiroth."


	15. Arrival

**All But One**

**Arrival**

Her jaw cracked slightly at the impact of the fist, causing her head to jerk to the side along with the rest of her body. The left side of her bruised face was searing in pain, but Tifa spat the blood to the side, and returned her piercing glare to the grinning man.

"You want to kill me, don't you?" Que'd asked, shaking off the slight pain from his hand. "You'd give anything to have me in your position, wouldn't you?"

Tifa remained silent, and ignored the line of blood that trickled from the corner of her lips. She'd been taking hits from him for almost half an hour now, and the lack of sleep and food only worsened the pains of her body.

"Tell me how much you hate me, Tifa Lockhart. Do you despise me? Do you want to murder me like you did Lillia?"

Que'd was enjoying every minute of this, torturing the shackled woman, while her emotionless fiancée watched blankly from behind. He had decided to wait until morning to move out to Cosmo Canyon, so until then, he'd have some fun with his little _prisoner._

He swung hard into her stomach, causing her to gasp at the sudden pain and collapse down to her knees. Que'd quickly added another jab to the back of her neck and grinned as she fell facedown onto the hard floor.

He turned, gazing at the empty blue eyes of Cloud Strife. It was quite amusing, this whole ordeal, how he was forced to watch the woman he loved get beaten down in chains, but feel absolutely no anger or resentment towards her torturer.

"What do you think of all this?" Que'd asked him, his lips curving up at the corners.

Cloud stared back, blank-faced. "I'm not sure what you mean."

See? This was absolutely brilliant! What better way to torture a bunch of murderers than this? Que'd turned and grabbed the heavily injured Tifa by her hair, smirking as he leveled her face with his own.

"I know the anger you feel right now, Tifa Lockhart. I know the pain and the frustration of being brutally tortured, but being unable to do anything about it."

Tifa's eyelids were half-closed, her consciousness slowly fading.

"I felt the same way towards _you,_" Que'd continued. "No, what I felt was even greater. No physical torment could even _compare_ with what you did to me."

He shoved her face to the floor, slamming it hard and causing the rest of her body to wince slightly.

Cloud's finger twitched.

"How does _that_ feel?!" Que'd pulled back at the knot of hair, revealing her bloodied forehead, and slammed it down again. This time, Tifa's hands balled up into fists at the pain.

"How does it feel?! How does it feel?!"

Que'd was like a little child, unleashing his rage on his helpless captive, thriving off of her pain. He shoved her backwards, and stomped the sole of his boots hard onto her chest. He kicked at her, again and again, releasing the fury and vengeance that had been welling up inside him for an eternity, wreaking havoc in a relentless rage.

Tifa curled up into a fetal position, wincing at the endless kicks and blows that shattered her body slowly but surely. It didn't matter to her if this was the end. She didn't mind dying like this, and maybe she even deserved it for what she did to this man. The pain she was feeling, however, wasn't from the physical torment. It was from Cloud.

By the time Que'd tripped over his own shoe and fell to the ground, he was panting heavily, his bandaged face drenched with sweat. Tifa was shuddering in pain, her once beautiful face now bloodied and swollen.

"Stop this."

Que'd glanced up, a bit startled at the abrupt voice of Cloud Strife.

"What did you say?"

"I said stop."

Tifa's shoulder twitched gently, her breathing was slow and frail, but she managed to move her eyes towards the blonde man in the corner.

"We need her alive. I can't allow any more of this," Cloud stated.

Que'd lowered his brows. "Do you _care_ about this woman, Strife? Are you _feeling?!"_

The swordsman shook his head slowly. "What I feel doesn't matter. You're losing control, and you know we need her."

Que'd returned to his feet and walked over to the table in the center of the room, reaching out for the wooden scabbard and unsheathing the katana within. "How about I have you kill her right here and now, Strife? Since when did _you_ tell _me_ what to do?"

Cloud's gaze was still fixed on the fallen woman.

"Do it. You kill her. Forget the plan. Forget the Huge Materia. You kill her now and let's end it here." Que'd tossed him the katana, and Cloud caught it by the hilt.

"This isn't going to—"

"_Do_ it, you bastard! _Kill_ her!"

Cloud's eyes met the fading ruby ones of Tifa. Something was tugging at his heart, telling him there was something terribly wrong about this entire situation. It wasn't that he was actually _feeling_ anything for this woman, it was just this strange uncomfortable irritation in his head, a kind of instinct or reflex. His mind registered that this woman—Tifa Lockhart—was _not_ supposed to be in such pain. She was _not_ supposed to be in such a bind.

"_If I'm ever in a bind, you come and save me, alright?"_

His grip on the hilt tightened, but Cloud didn't move. He only stared down at the unblinking gaze of the woman. He saw a single tear rolling down her swollen cheek, but it didn't make him feel any different. It didn't make him pity her.

But it was that smile.

Why was she smiling at him?

"_Whenever I'm in trouble, my hero will come and rescue me. I want to experience that at least once."_

"What the hell are you _doing,_ Strife?! _Kill_ her!"

Cloud ignored him. He wasn't taking any orders any more. His Blindsight materia had robbed him of all his emotions. He was nothing but a shell, a humanoid machine. He had nothing. He was empty. All of it was gone.

"_Promise me."_

All, but one.

"_Come on, just promise me!"_

Cloud lifted his sword, but his gaze was focused on the dark-haired man across the room.

"_Alright, I promise."_

"What the hell are you—"

"I promised her," Cloud muttered.

"_Kill_ her, god damn it!" Que'd barked, but it was futile. Cloud Strife had finally realized his one remaining emotion—the one thought that had dominated his entire mentality when the materia had been inserted into his system.

Tifa was still smiling, and despite the nasty cuts and bruises that decorated her face, there was still a faint form of beauty within her.

It wasn't his love for her that Cloud felt. No, it wasn't that. In all honesty, he felt _nothing_ for Tifa as a person. He _couldn't_.

"I swear to God, Strife, if you don't kill her…"

It wasn't love.

It was _fear._

"I'll fucking kill you all!" Que'd roared.

It was his fear of breaking that promise he had once made to her. Emotionless shell or not, Cloud Strife did not have it in him to allow Tifa Lockhart to die.

Que'd leapt across the room, clutching Tifa by the throat. "Drop the fucking sword, Strife. Drop it, or I'll kill her."

Cloud lowered his brow, hesitating at the threat.

"You think I'm _lying,_ Strife?! Drop the damn sword!"

He slowly knelt down to the floor, placing the long katana on the tiled surface, and returning to his feet. Que'd quickly reached out, snatching the sword by the hilt and glaring at the traitor venomously. The damned materia had failed. Cloud was now a threat to him and his plan, and the others were potentially just as untrustworthy.

"We're leaving, Strife. You lead out. Get Rufus, Cid and Rosianna and tell the others to stay behind. We're heading out to Cosmo," he paused, tightening his hold on Tifa. "One wrong move, and she loses her fucking head. You got that?"

Cloud nodded.

-xXx-

For most of the world, it was nothing but another Sunday morning with another cycle of the sun slowly stretching out over the horizon, while the moon and stars were dismissed to their slumber. But for the son of Seto, it was a memorial day, an anniversary for the death of his beloved grandfather Bugenhagen.

Nanaki lowered his head against the tombstone, his rough mane wavering gently against the soft wind. Today marked the fourth year since the old man had passed, and Nanaki wished in his heart that he could hear the cheerful "Ho ho hoo" laughter one more time.

After whispering his prayers and saying his farewells, he turned to return to the settlement below, his home and territory, Cosmo Canyon. Bugenhagen's passing had resulted in Nanaki's succession to the leadership of his tribe, though he had asked Elders Hargo and Bugah to lead in his stead.

His paws padded gently against the rubble as he leapt down the boulders, making his way towards the village gate, where the guardsman kept watch over night.

The first thing he noticed was the smell.

The second and third things, he noticed simultaneously. For one, there was a familiar aircraft parked idly in one of the valleys below, and for another, he could hear the distant yelling of a man's voice.

Nanaki quickened his pace, his thick muscles flexing and contracting fluidly as his limbs carried him down to the level of the village. Though he could only see out of one eye, he could make out the shape of a small crowd at the base of the stairs that led up to Bugenhagen's Tower. Some of the forms looked familiar.

Still, Nanaki knew something was not right.

He dashed forward, unleashing a powerful roar to call the attention of his unwelcome guests.

Que'd jerked around, startled. His eyes widened at the sight of the red creature, as he had not known that the character named Nanaki was no human being.

"What the hell is—"

"Who are you?" Nanaki snapped, his voice cold and threatening. He noticed that Cloud, Cid, and even Rufus Shinra were standing next to this strange man, but he sensed something was not right, as his former companions didn't stop to greet his arrival. "What happened to Tifa? Why is she—"

"Are _you_ Nanaki?" Que'd asked, clutching the injured Tifa by her arm.

"I am. Who are you, and what are you doing with—"

"Where's the Huge Materia?"

Nanaki bared his teeth. "Cloud! Cid! What's going on here?!"

Cloud lowered his brows. "Take us to the materia, Red."

"But—"

"If you don't, I'll _kill_ her," Que'd hissed, strengthening his hold on the nearly unconscious Tifa.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. The Huge Materia has been gone for—"

"You think I'm _kidding,_ don't you?"

Que'd held the blade level with her throat, pushing it against her skin and causing the flesh to open slightly. Nanaki glared through his one good eye. "Listen you—"

"Good God, I'm _really_ getting sick of all this shit. Just _take_ me to the god damn materia, and I'll let her go."

He didn't know what their intentions were, and he _surely_ didn't know what was wrong with Cloud and the others, but Nanaki was at a loss here. Tifa appeared like she was going to die at any moment, and this stranger was threatening him with her life. The Huge Materia was something he hadn't thought about in quite a while, since their purpose was no longer necessary.

"They're in the tomb," he muttered. "I'll take you there if—"

"Cloud, you know where that is?" Que'd interrupted.

Cloud nodded.

"Good. You, me and Tifa will go together." He turned his gaze to the others. "Rosianna, make sure the aircraft is ready once I get back. Cid and Rufus, you two take care of this little…_creature_…we'll be back momentarily."

Nanaki watched helplessly as the trio ascended up the stone stairs.

He caught a glimpse of the spear behind Cid just in time, and leapt out of the way to miss the attack.

"Cid! What are you doing?! What's the matter—"

"Hmph!" Rufus pulled out a pair of guns from his jacket, aiming their barrels at his red target and firing relentlessly. Nanaki took a bullet to one of his hind legs, but was able to leap out of the way before receiving any further damage.

He saw the woman named Rosianna fleeing towards the village gate, but Rufus' gunshots were still firing at the boulder in front of him. By now, he had figured out that something was obstructing the thoughts of his friends, so his only chance was to somehow flee from the area.

"Nanaki! What's—"

Two gunshots sent the unfortunate villager to the ground, his body now limp and motionless. Nanaki darted out from behind the boulder, speeding past the bullets that shot towards him and dove hard into Rufus' chest, knocking the man down. He managed to swipe away one of the guns, but his injured hind leg still burned madly from the wound. He threw his weight to the left, dodging Cid's spearhead, and circled him once before leaping over another wooden crate.

Nanaki noticed that Cid's movements were uncoordinated. He couldn't help but grin at the effects of the withdrawal.

Four more gunshots blasted away at the wood, shattering it into a burst of splinters, and Nanaki was forced to move to another cover. He swung his blazing tail at the gunman, but missed, only to take two more bullets to his front leg.

This wasn't good—Nanaki was crippled.

He watched as the former ShinRa president stepped forward, raising the barrel of his gun at his head.

_Bang! Bang!_

Nanaki cracked his good eye open, to see that Rufus had been distracted. Oblivious to the source of that last gunfire, he dragged himself behind a large keg, and licked at his wounds.

"Hold on, Red! We're coming!"

That voice.

It sounded like Yuffie Kisaragi.

-xXx-

Seto's Tomb was as dark as it had been the last time he'd been here. Cloud placed his hand on the stone wall, brushing his palm over its cold, rough surface. He glanced over at the panting Tifa, her arms still securely shackled behind her back.

"We need to heal her wounds," he said. "She won't last long."

Que'd rolled his eyes. "And why the hell would I care about that?!"

"You have Restore materia. Give it to me."

"No. Why don't you shut the hell up and lead the way?"

Cloud glared. "Haven't you forgotten something, Venge?"

"What?"

"You came all the way in here to react your Blindsight materia."

Que'd raised his brow. "And?"

"Where's your Blindsight materia?"

Cloud grinned. The fool had left his supply with Rosianna.

"I have one in my arm. I'll give it to you if you let me treat her wounds."

Que'd scowled. "You must be out of your _fucking_ mind! I'm not giving you _anything!"_

"Then how do you plan on reviving your lover?"

"I'll just go back up there and get one from—"

Cloud thrust his hand forward, clutching his throat in a firm grasp. "Give me the materia."

Que'd released his hold on Tifa and struggled to free himself from the chokehold. "Let…go—"

The grip tightened, causing his face to turn a purplish color.

"Al-Alright…I-I'll gi-give it…"

Cloud shoved him away, and Que'd began to gasp for air, clutching his burning throat and coughing violently.

"Give it to me."

With a cold glare, Que'd stepped forward, tossing the green sphere to the floor next to Tifa, and placing his hand on Cloud's arm.

"If I let you two go, you will allow Lillia and I to take the airship," he whispered.

Cloud nodded.

Que'd stared at him for a while, but his grip tightened, and finally said, "This may feel a bit…_unpleasant_…"

He dug his fingernails into Cloud's skin, releasing the crimson red materia from beneath his flesh, and causing Cloud to groan loudly.

"_Back then I only got scraped knees—" "You fell from the roof—" "Cloud, please join us—" "I'm just kidding! I wouldn't leave you hanging like that—" "You may visit your family—" "I'm the Great Materia Hunter Yuffie—" "What?! You're only a failure—" "This mansion is the beginning of your nightmare—" "Shera! Make them some damn tea—" "Where's Mother—" "C'mon, Cloud! Together we could rebuild ShinRa—" "Don't worry, Tifa. It'll be alright—" "Oh, legendary hero, Alfred—" "I hear there are orphans living with you—" "Cloud? What do you think of me—" "We're friends…right—" "Let me have this moment…for just a little longer—" "I guess we won't be allies—" "I'm doing it for Marlene—" "Which is it going to be? A memory, or us—" "What is it that you cherish most—" "There ain't no gettin' off this train—" "Tifa Lockhart. Will you marry me—" "I will…never become a memory—"_

Cloud dropped to his knees, his mind ripping apart at the internal explosion of thoughts and memories, the outburst of his emotions and mentality rushing back into his head in an excruciatingly painful shriek. Faces flashed into his mind, screams, cries and laughter ringing in his mental chamber as he relived the memories of his past. He fell to his knees, clutching his hair and pulling madly as he relived every kill, every wound and death, every fight and battle. He leaned over onto his back, shuddering as the death of Aeris replayed in his mind, the sharp blade of the Masamune impaling through her back. His hands and knees began to tremble violently. Tifa's torture triggered back into his memory, her cries of pain echoing through his cranium as she endured through every punch, kick and blow.

When Cloud opened his eyes, he found himself shivering in the dark void of Seto's tomb, his hair drenched in sweat and his hands fisted against his chest.

"Cloud. Cloud, it's okay. It's alright."

It was Tifa. Her left eye was swollen, and her face was still crisscrossed with cuts and wounds, but Cloud could only see the beautiful visage of the woman he loved, and he embraced her fully, squeezing her warm body against his own.

"I'm so sorry…" he whispered. "Tifa, I'm so sorry…"

"It's alright, Cloud. It's over now. You're back."

Hesitantly, Cloud released his hold on her, and immediately reached out for the green ball that rested on the pile of rubble.

"Do you…remember everything?" Tifa asked, wiping away at her tears.

Cloud nodded, feeling the fresh addition of the materia as it entered his system.

"Que'd's using the Blindsight materia to revive his lover," he said, placing his hand on her shoulder and allowing the healing process to initiate.

Tifa felt her cuts smoothen out as the wounds and broken skin wove back to their original state. Her swollen eye slowly diminished, revealing the natural wine color, and the disconnected joints and fractured bones healed up at an impossibly rapid pace, restoring her with a new strength.

She smiled. "Thanks."

Cloud was still speechless. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her renewed form against his chest and sighing into her hair.

"I'm so sorry."

"Oh, come on, now! What happened to the—"

Tifa's voice was broken by an unpleasant grunt that came out from one of the chambers. Cloud lowered his brow, helping Tifa back up to her feet as he scanned the darkness of the tomb. They stood frozen, peering at the passageways that led further into the forsaken place, clutching each other's hand and waiting for someone to come out from one of the exits.

"Was that Que'd?" Tifa asked, her voice alert and tense.

Cloud nodded. "It sounded like him."

They could only hear their own heavy breathing as they waited in the darkness, waiting for Que'd to come out with the woman of his past.

"_Hahaha…they've come again, mother…"_

But maybe Cloud already _knew_ what was going to step out from the dark void where Que'd had entered.

"_What I want, Cloud, is to sail the darkness of this cosmos with this planet as my vessel."_

Maybe he _knew_ that it wouldn't be Que'd who came out.

"…_just as my mother did long ago." _

Maybe he had known all along.

"_I will…"_

Nevertheless, Cloud held his breath as the silver-haired man stepped out from the darkness, wielding the katana that had once belonged to Zangan.

"…_never become a memory."_


	16. Reunion

**All But One**

"_He who promises more than he is able to perform, is false to himself; and he who does not perform what he has promised, is a traitor to his friend."_

_-George Shelley_

**Reunion**

Her short blonde hair danced around turbulently under the spinning gusts of the helicopter blades, her black tie lashing against her neck and her jacket ruffling in a violent crescendo of waves. Elena peered down with wide eyes, and the fear began to well up inside as she watched the diminishing form of Rude dropping lower and lower to the village below. Her left sleeve still reeked from Yuffie's vomit, but the thought didn't even occur to her any more; ever since she was a child, she had been plagued with the deep uncontainable fear of heights.

"Yo, you gonna jump or am I gonna have to push you out?!" Barret roared, his voice barely audible under the thunderous chaos of the blades. "Just _jump, _damn it!"

Elena bit her lower lip, her grip on the door handle tightening. "I-I can't!"

Barret rolled his eyes. "Reeve! You and me, man! Let's go kick some ass!"

The blonde Turk watched in horror as the large man dove out from the helicopter, his heavy body shooting down from the altitudinous level and slowly diminishing into a small dot.

"Shera!" Reeve called, strapping his pack onto his shoulders. "We'll rendezvous with you later! Good luck!"

The pilot waved her hand once before Reeve leapt out from the door. Tseng and Elena were now the only ones left.

"Tseng, I…I can't do this."

"Oh, yes you can," the field leader replied, loading his pistol with a new round of bullets. They could make out the rattling of Barret's machine gun now, which meant the fight had already commenced. "You're a _Turk_, Elena."

Elena clenched her fist, her knees trembling slightly. "Exactly! I joined the _Turks! _Not the ShinRa Air Force! You _know _I have a fear of heights!"

Tseng grinned, and after one last wave to Shera, he shoved his blonde partner out from the chopper, and threw his own weight out into the vast expanse of the blue sky; Elena's scream could be heard from miles away.

-xXx-

That grin was an image he had seen too many times. Whether it was a visitation from his nightmares, or merely a flashback from his memories, Cloud was all too familiar with the sinister curve of those lips, how they sneered at him in mocking amusement, how they threatened him through a fear he could hardly contain. Cloud stepped back, holding out his arm in front of Tifa as the man approached them from the darkness, his long and flowing hair glimmering slightly at the dim flickers of the torch on the wall. The blade that Que'd had carried into the chamber was now grasped tightly in one hand, and his boots padded quietly on the rubble as he made his way closer and closer towards them. His silver shoulder plates clanked heavily over the black uniform, the one that declared his rank as a First Class SOLDIER. When he reached the center of the chamber, Sephiroth paused, placing his gaze over the engravings in the katana.

A look of amusement shone from his eyes as he read the Wutain inscriptions.

"_Do you know what the engravings say, Cloud Strife?" Venge asked, twirling the teacup with his fingers._

"_I know what they say. I know not what they mean."_

_The dark-haired man chuckled._

"_Giya haraemi," he said, still wearing a grin. "It means…a grudge unforgotten."_

Sephiroth looked up towards Cloud and Tifa, his lips still curved. "A bit ironic, don't you think?"

Cloud glared through wavering eyes and released his hold on Tifa's shoulder, pushing her back. "Run," he whispered. "Tifa…run!"

She shook her head, eyes fixed on her grinning adversary, lips pursed. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Please, Tifa. Cid's airship is up on the surface. If you go there now, there may be—"

"I'm _not_ leaving you!"

"Let her stay if she desires. It doesn't matter," Sephiroth said with a cold sneer. "I must admit, it's a little…_amusing…_how things turn out." He stepped forward, his piercing eyes observing the environment around him. "Mother's will sometimes tends to be rather unpredictable. The Blindsight materia you've acquainted yourself with is yet another form of her memetic legacy. Her will shrouds the mind of its host, choking out meaningless emotions and replacing them with a single purpose."

Cloud lowered his brow. "What are you saying?"

Sephiroth smirked. "Why do you think I'm standing here before you, Cloud? Since the beginning, this entire ordeal, this entire conflict you've been in was merely the realization of Mother's will. You were being _called_ here by the materia, summoned for yet another Reunion, just like you were all those years ago. That man's vengeance, the preservation of the Huge Materia, it was all merely a part of her plan. He was just another pawn in the fulfillment of Mother's will."

Tifa shook her head. "That's not true. That's not true, Cloud. Jenova's dead."

"Dead?" Sephiroth emitted a soft chuckled. "Mother's memetic legacy will _always_ live on within the Lifestream. Don't you see, Cloud? I'll never die. I'll just keep coming back, again and again. You've been standing on the side of defeat since the beginning."

"You're wrong," Tifa muttered.

Cloud raised his arm in front of her, eyes still piercing in a glare. "Jenova. Memetic legacy. None of that matters to me. All I know is that you just don't seem to understand, Sephiroth. I've stopped you every time." He raised his fists to shoulder level, shifting his feet into a combat stance. "This time will be no different."

There was a chilling laughter that echoed off the stone walls. Sephiroth raised the katana over his chest, grinning maniacally.

"Indeed."

With a swift push from his legs, he charged forward towards the unarmed duo, his hand clutched tightly around the hilt of the sword of grudge.

-xXx-

Yuffie flipped backwards, swinging her arm and releasing the four-point shuriken while her body was still airborne, and landed gracefully feet flat. The steel weapon twirled through the air, sweeping out in a large arc towards the gun-held hand of Rufus Shinra, but missed, as he had shifted his weight to dodge the incoming attack. As she somersaulted backwards in retreat, Barret let out another storm of bullets from behind a large boulder, aiming low in purpose of missing his target. He was trying to force Rufus into taking cover, but his attempts were futile—such feeble threats had no effect on the shrouded mind of his adversary. He jerked back when Rufus returned to his attack, ducking behind the stone shield and hissing a few curses before Yuffie joined him at his side.

"Where the hell's Tifa?!" he asked, grimacing as the bullets sparked over his head.

Yuffie shrugged. "Let's hope she's in a better position than _us."_

Reno took a hard blow to his jaw, but ducked in time to miss the spearhead. Cid was relentless in his attacks, and despite his slightly uncoordinated movements from the lack of nicotine, he proved to be far superior in the art of combat than his opponent. With a loud growl, he thrust the spear forward, causing the red-headed Turk to twist around gracefully, swinging his leg backwards to meet him in the jaw. Immediately afterwards, Reno jumped back as Cid retaliated, and skidded back towards his partner Rude.

"Damn punk's got some moves," he sneered. "Now if we were trying to _kill_ him, this'd be a lot easier!"

Rude smirked, but their conversation was cut short by another attack from Cid, his spear slashing through the air, forcing Rude to raise his forearm up and block the incoming shaft. He wasn't as nimble as his partner, so Rude would have to be extra careful in this fight. He clutched the shaft his one hand, and slammed his free fist into Cid's chest, causing him to release his hold on the spear. Reno took this time to dive forward, reaching out his hands and aiming for the crimson glow in Cid's arm, but the pilot had anticipated this move, and rolled his weight to the side. He then threw himself at Rude, swinging a fierce punch, and hitting true. Rude stumbled backwards, and took another blow above his sunglasses, which forced him to drop the spear.

Meanwhile, Vincent and Reeve made their way towards the _Shera_, both of them gripping their guns tightly as they descended down the rough surface of the canyon. Vincent's keen eyes caught sight of the lone man on the ship's deck, and he cocked the Cerberus, raising it level with his target and aiming carefully. But before he could pull the trigger, he was blown aside by the burning force of the fireball, an attack he had not anticipated. Reeve jerked around, catching a glimpse of the fleeing woman. It was none other than his own personal secretary—Rosianna. Perhaps _she_ had been the reason their enemy knew of the Huge Materia.

"You alright?!"

"I'm fine," Vincent muttered, dusting off his cloak as the wrinkled burns smoothened out on his face. His unnatural healing rate and the HP Plus materia combined to make him nearly invincible. Or at least that's what he hoped.

"Well, there goes our chance at a sneak attack," the commissioner hissed.

They quickened their pace down the steep slope of the canyon, chasing after the woman below.

-xXx-

Cloud pushed Tifa to the side and ducked low, barely missing the first swing of the blade, but Sephiroth lashed out with a hard kick to his shoulder, sending him tumbling over the heaps of rubble. Flipping back onto her feet, Tifa twisted her body around and thrust her leg out at Sephiroth, but it was easily deflected by his forearm and she took a hard blow from the base of the hilt, causing her head to jerk to the side. Cloud was at a serious disadvantage here; he was absolutely _useless_ in hand-to-hand combat, especially against a foe like Sephiroth. Nevertheless, he rolled his weight to the side and dodged the incoming sword, jerking his leg out to hit Sephiroth in the thigh, but it was a useless attack. Sephiroth stabbed down at the ground, missing by mere inches. He slammed his foot at Cloud's side and sent him rolling back even further.

"Oh come now. This is no fun," he sneered, dashing forward for another attack.

Tifa rammed her shoulder into him, sending him flying towards the wall, but Sephiroth easily kicked off the stone surface, and swung the katana at her head. Tifa had ducked just in time, but a few strands of her hair were drifting in the air. She threw a punch, missed, stepped forward for another kick, and missed again. Sephiroth twirled in the air, dodging Cloud's attack from behind, which almost ended up clashing with Tifa's jaw.

"Come on, Cloud. Hand-to-hand is the basis of all combat," Sephiroth mocked, clutching the sword high above his shoulders. "But I guess you wouldn't know since you were never in SOLDIER."

Cloud and Tifa charged forward, swinging their fists but hitting nothing but the air. Sephiroth darted past them, managing to smash his elbow onto their backs before retreating to the opposite wall. Tifa tumbled past the stone pillar to her right. She was too tired for this.

Cloud, however, recovered to his feet quickly. His shoes scraped against the rocky floor as he twisted his body, dodging what would probably have been a lethal blow from the katana. He thrust his elbow back, but Sephiroth had ducked, shoving his shoulder against his enemy and adding a quick slash with the sword. Cloud clutched his wounded shoulder, grimacing at the annoying stings.

"You're useless without a weapon," Sephiroth smirked. "It's over, Cloud. You won't stop me this time."

Cloud hissed, clenching both his fists and running forward for another attempt.

-xXx-

Reno raised his metal rod to defend himself from Cid's attack, and the two weapons screamed loudly as they clashed against each other. Rude charged forward for a swing, but Cid easily hopped over him, lashing out a single kick before landing on the ground. Rude regained his balance, ducking low to dodge the spearhead, and raising his forearm to block the punch. Cid reached forward, grabbing the Turk by his tie and kneeing him in the gut. Rude's air hissed through his lips, and he took another hard blow to his head. With a fierce growl, Cid lifted his spear for the final attack, but Reno rammed him off balance, wrestling him onto the ground.

Yuffie crouched low beside Barret, the two of them concealed behind the face of the large boulder, while Rufus continued to shoot at them relentlessly.

"Man, this is fucked up!" Barret said with a hiss. "Can't even _kill_ the damn bastard!"

"Oh, shut up! Cover me!" Yuffie leapt over the boulder, clutching the shuriken in one hand and pushing her weight off the stone with the other. Barret immediately took a small sidestep to the right, and his gun began to rattle furiously as the bullets sparked near Rufus' feet. Yuffie twirled in the air, dodging three more bullets, and blocking one with her shuriken. In order to stop him, she'd need to get close; Rufus Shinra was useless in close combat.

She landed on her feet, immediately thrusting forward to close in, but felt a searing pain as the bullet ripped through right under her collar bone.

Barret cursed.

"Hold on, Yuffie! I'm comin'!"

Reeve threw his weight to the side, wincing as the boulder behind him shattered in a fiery eruption. He counted at least twelve men up on the deck of the airship, but his concern was focused on the gradual crescendo of the engine's roar—they were trying to lift off.

Vincent dashed down at an incredible speed, his long legs striding over the rubble and his gun continuously firing towards the men. He was gathering momentum, and the Speed Plus materia was only increasing his pace as he closed in on the airship, still pulling the trigger in relentless succession.

"Get him!" one of the men hollered, blasting out another shot from his materia.

Vincent tilted his head to dodge and leapt up, his red cape ruffling violently as he soared through the air, Cerberus still crackling with every gunshot. He managed to fell two men before landing gracefully onto the steel floor of the deck, shifting his feet at an angle and pummeling four more gunshots. The gun hissed out with a click, and Vincent cursed as he dove to the side, missing yet another attack. His movements were quick as he reloaded the gun, ducking low to dodge a punch and shoving his shoulder into the man's chest. With a pull of his thumb, he cocked the pistol and pierced three ugly holes into the man's face, but didn't pause to observe the blood gushing out. Reeve was now running in towards the _Shera_, but Vincent didn't have time to watch. He lifted his brass arm, blocking a metal club, and smashing his golden shoe into the man's groin. The man let out a painful groan, but his breath fell short as the three bullets tore through his back. Vincent saw only eight more men. He easily dodged another kick, but took a blow to his jaw. Vincent wiped his hand over his lips, licking at the metallic taste of blood. He grinned. The bastard was using Deathblow.

-xXx-

Cloud swung hard, but none of his attacks were quick enough to meet Sephiroth. He felt the hard bottom of the hilt ram into the back of his neck, and another painful blow to his already wounded shoulder.

"It's a shame to see you so weak, Cloud. I was expecting an improvement from our last fight."

Sephiroth thrust the katana down, impaling Cloud through his rib cage. Cloud let out a painful yell as the blade dug deeper and deeper into the ground beneath him, pinning him down.

"It's over," Sephiroth muttered. "Your pathetic life comes to an end today."

He turned his back on the paralyzed form of Cloud, walking across the dark chamber and reaching out for the flickering torch that hung from the wall. "You know what the difference is between us two?" He snatched the torch, gripping it his left hand. "You will never return from death, whereas I…" He grinned, stepping back towards the injured man. "I will _always_ come back."

Cloud groaned softly while his hands tugged hard on the curved blade that was pierced through his body. It was useless, however, since it was embedded far too deep into the ground.

Sephiroth towered over him, waving the torch in small arcs, while his lips curved up into a grin. "Your body will return to the Lifestream, joining in Mother's final Reunion, where she will continue to corrode the lifeblood of the planet. In the end, Cloud, it seems you will take part in my own glorification." He lowered the torch, causing Cloud to wince at the burning light of the fire. "Pity…the person who ended up becoming a memory…" Sephiroth grinned, pushing the torch closer to Cloud's face. "…is you."

"No."

Sephiroth turned, glaring at the brown-haired woman.

"I'll make sure your little _reunion_ gets another delay," Tifa muttered, raising her fists to shoulder level.

Sephiroth's glare diminished and he tossed the torch to the side, smirking at the foolish woman.

-xXx-

Nanaki was dragging himself up the ramp of the nearest building. Barret and Rufus' endless gunfire were still crackling down below him, but he needed to get just a little farther, and position himself right above the man in white. His legs were still bleeding heavily, but he could care less.

He had seen Yuffie get shot, but Nanaki knew he had to push himself just a little further; it was the only way to stop Rufus' relentless attack.

His claws dug deep into the wooden floorboard and he pulled hard, dragging his entire weight over the ramp.

Yuffie dropped the shuriken, her hand clutching the wound to staunch the bleeding. She felt two more bullets whirl past her face and thigh, but Barret was already approaching from the boulder, screaming maniacally and rattling his gun. One of the bullets shred through Rufus' thigh, causing him to collapse onto the ground. He quickly lifted his gun and aimed at the large man, but Nanaki slammed onto his form from above, lashing his blazing tail at the gun. Yuffie took this opportunity to dive down, slamming her weight onto Rufus' chest and pulling hard at his glowing arm.

Reno was on top of Cid. He growled and tugged, trying to get a hold of the materia-wielding arm, but Cid was too erratic in his movements, wriggling around like an enraged animal under Reno's weight. "Rude, god damn it, get over here!" Reno yelled, swinging a hard punch at Cid's jaw. His partner was already approaching from the back, adding his own weight onto the enraged Cid, and clutching the left arm with both hands. After delivering one more hard punch to his face, Reno held his wrist down with one arm, while he tugged viciously at the crimson glow under Cid's shoulder.

"Come on, ya son of a bitch! _Wake_ up!"

Cid roared in pain as the Blindsight materia was snatched out of him, and the flashes and memories began to scream out in his head.

Vincent crashed into the steel wall as he took another kick to the chest. He was outnumbered. He raised his gun up, but it was knocked off by a metal rod, twirling around and disappearing over the railing of the ship's deck. Vincent flipped his body over just in time to dodge another deathblow, and ripped his claws into the man's back, thrusting deeper into his flesh. Reeve managed to climb up onto the deck and immediately fired his gun at two of the men, one of whom lost his balance and flipped over the railing.

Five men left.

He jerked his arm and aimed at the one with the metal rod, but he was knocked aside from behind, losing the gun at the impact. Vincent twisted his body in a swift jerk, lashing out his golden shoe at another man and sending him crashing into the wall. He felt a burning rip to his side, where another enemy slashed at him with a knife. Vincent growled, and was about to retaliate, when he saw that Reeve was being held in a headlock.

He caught a glimpse of the knife that was aimed at his head, but Vincent watched with perplexed eyes as two holes opened up from the man's chest, causing him to drop down limply. Reeve's attacker was also felled by three more gunshots.

Tseng and Elena dropped down from a higher level of the airship, pummeling the remaining men with bullets.

Vincent sighed in relief. "Thanks."

-xXx-

Tifa didn't know what to expect from this fight, considering she'd never seen Sephiroth in combat without a sword. She anticipated the first move, leaning to the left as his fist smashed through the stone wall, causing a shower of rubble to rain down. She felt his knee collide with her chin, and an elbow ramming down onto her back half a second later. Tifa rolled to the side, shaking off the pain. Her head was ringing from the blow, but she was able to see the next attack, and raised her forearm in defense, blocking the heavy punch. Sephiroth was grinning as he continued to assault her with a barrage of jabs and swings, forcing her to step back in an all-defensive stance, while he amused himself with the fight. Tifa managed to get in a single punch, but hit nothing, only to take a crippling blow to her thigh, and dropped down to her knees. She felt the hand wrap around her throat, and stared helplessly into the cold silver eyes of her enemy, clutching his grasp and struggling to break free from the chokehold.

"Zangan once told me you were his finest student," he sneered, tightening his hand. "Surely, you can do better than that."

Sephiroth threw her to the side, chuckling slightly as he allowed her time to recover. Tifa rubbed at her burning throat. It was hopeless—she was no match for this man.

She took two hard jabs to her stomach, and then a slam to her jaw, which felt like a massive train had just collided with her. She tumbled over the rubble, groaning loudly as she desperately struggled to return to her feet.

_Cloud frowned. _

"_Well I guess I'm gonna have to say this, then…" he said, his cheeks slowly reddening. _

"_The promise we made when we were young…I mean, not that we aren't young now, but—"_

"_Yeah, the promise. What about it?"_

Tifa ducked below the first swing, but Sephiroth managed to ram his knee into her ribs, cracking them slightly. With a combination of two kicks and a heavy punch, he sent her flying towards the opposite wall.

_Cloud swallowed. "I promised you I'd be there for you, right?"_

_Tifa nodded. _

She clutched her side. The pain was unbearable. The hunger, the thirst. Her body was screaming in protest. She couldn't win. Who was _she_ to challenge this man? This monster. Tifa glared at the grinning face, those lips that mocked her, taunted her for her weakness. She could see the amusement in his eyes, how they enjoyed the absolute domination of his own victory. But then, her gaze slowly shifted towards Cloud. He was still trapped under the blade, helpless and unmoving.

"_I want you to make that same promise to me."_

Tifa clenched her fists, raising them up with a new determination. If she failed to stop Sephiroth, Cloud would be left for dead. She would never marry him. She would break her promise.

Sephiroth charged forward for his final attack, striding past the stone pillars and smirking as he closed in on the woman. He lifted his arm, thrusting it forward for the deadly blow, but all he hit was the hard surface of the wall. He turned, glaring at his adversary. She was standing on the opposite side of the chamber, staring at him through ruby eyes. How did she move so quickly?

"You're only delaying your demise," he mocked, dashing forward for another attempt. He leapt through the air, lashing out two quick kicks at his target, but missed. Tifa retaliated with a swing, but Sephiroth deflected it with his own arm, reaching forward for another counter attack. The two foes were both unable to meet their mark, each of them swinging and flipping relentlessly, only to hit the air. Tifa twisted her body around to retreat, pushing off the ground with one arm and flipping back to her feet. She gasped as her enemy appeared behind her, striking with his fist, but she managed to dodge just in time. Tifa launched herself backwards, trying to buy time to recover her stamina, but Sephiroth was relentless; he charged forward, pummeling her with another series of attacks, all of which she managed to defend.

Her newly obtained determination was slowly fading, and she hadn't been able to strike a single blow yet. She turned her eyes to Cloud. How much longer would he be able to hold out until he lost too much blood?

Sephiroth sensed the distraction, and aimed for her already-injured ribs, lashing out a hard kick, and causing her to crumple up near the wall. The last time he hesitated, she had regained her strength. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

Sephiroth approached her trembling form, grinning as he lifted his leg for the killing blow. Just when he began to thrust down, he felt a new weight slam into him from the side, causing him to tumble over the rocky floor. He jerked his head, glaring furiously at the dark-haired man.

Que'd was clutching the open wound on his chest, trying to staunch the bleeding, but he moved closer to Tifa, checking to see if she was still alive. Before he could speak, Sephiroth had already launched forward for the counter, smashing the back of his hand into Que'd's jaw and adding a hard kick to his stomach.

"You're all so stubborn in your desperation to stay alive," Sephiroth growled. "Your demise is inevitable. Accept your failure."

Que'd chuckled, slowly returning to his feet and sneering. "I don't even know who the hell you are, but I sure as hell won't let _you_ kill those two." His grin widened. "Tifa and I have a score to settle, so if you don't mind, why don't you _fuck_ off?!"

Sephiroth charged forward, punching the man in the forehead, and twisted around for a hard kick and hitting true to his jaw. He grabbed the man by the collar, swinging two hard punches at his face before heaving him to the stone wall. Que'd twisted around just it time to dodge the next attack. Sephiroth reached out for a grab, but Que'd ducked, throwing his weight onto his back and locking his shoulders with his arms. He had Sephiroth pinned in front of him.

"Tifa! Now!" he screamed, struggling hard to contain his enemy. _"Kill_ him!"

She had already risen to her feet, glaring as Sephiroth continued to wriggle under Que'd's hold. She clenched her right fist, focusing all her remaining strength and concentrating hard in preparation for the attack. An eerie glow began to radiate from her hand.

Que'd grinned. So _that's_ why she was Zangan's top student. He had never been able to master that move, and watched in astonishment as the light intensified, causing the surrounding air to waver in the heat.

Sephiroth continued to wrestle against the pinning hold, but he knew it was too late. He growled furiously as the fist was thrust towards his chest, colliding with a force that sent the two men rocketing towards the stone ceiling.

The chamber exploded in a blinding flash of light and the walls began to tremor violently as the clouds of dust and rubble showered down from the impact.

Panting heavily, Tifa strained her eyes to see the silhouette of a single man lying limply on the stone floor.

It was Que'd.

She stepped forward, cautiously looking for the other man. Something tugged at her mind and convinced her that he was till alive, but all she could see was the blanket of dust that fell slowly from above.

Then she saw it.

A rain of feathers hovered down from the ceiling, falling freely towards the floor and piling up in a furry heap. Tifa sighed. Sephiroth was no more.

Que'd was sprawled out in an uncomfortable position, his eyes half-closed and his chest tattered and red. Tifa approached him with hesitation, but saw that he was forming a weak grin. "Must've been one helluva day for you," he rasped.

Tifa smiled.

"Maybe we'll finish this some other time," Que'd whispered. "That was one hell of a punch. I guess I would've gotten my ass kicked if I tried fighting you alone."

Tifa remained silent.

"You take care of Cloud. Don't fail him like I failed Lillia." He coughed out violently, clutching his bleeding chest. "Li-Lillia's…wait-waiting…"

Tifa nodded, and was about to say something, but she knew he wouldn't hear her. His eyes gaped up blindly, seeing nothing. His chest heaved up one last time before dropping down, forever.

Tifa lowered her head as she stepped back, turning slowly and darting across the floor to Cloud. His eyes were shut, but she could tell he was still breathing. "Cloud, I'm taking it out," she said, and immediately tugged hard at the hilt of the sword, causing Cloud's body to wince up.

She knelt down, resting his head on her arm. The tears began to flow out automatically, and Tifa felt herself shuddering as Cloud's eyes remained shut. "Cloud. Cloud, I'm here," she whispered. "Please…please wake up. Say something, Cloud."

His chest was still moving, but Cloud said nothing.

"I'm going to marry you, you hear me? It's all over now. We can finally go home. We can finally go back to our lives." Tifa wiped at her eyes, her vision blurry and wet. "It's finally over, Cloud. So wake up."

She held him in her arms, letting the tears drain out over her cheeks and embracing him tighter. She tore off a piece of her shirt and pressed it down against Cloud's wound, hoping to God that he hadn't lost too much blood.

"Please say something. Talk to me, Cloud! Wake—"

"I…" Cloud cracked an eye open, forcing a weak grin as his voice rasped softly. "I'm marrying you…"


	17. Feathers

**All But One**

**Feathers**

_-Three Weeks after Que'd's Death-_

Reeve peered down at the envelope, a little hesitant in opening it. Ever since he returned to the office three weeks ago, he'd been relentlessly pelted with insurance forms and charges concerning the damages done to the Headquarters and the Edge Turn Mall. On top of that, the funding for the Midgar Restoration Project was suffering heavily. Two days ago, he had initiated a project to eradicate the ShinRa underground facility, as well as all the Blindsight materia they could locate, but Reeve still wasn't satisfied. Apparently, there was still one missing from the records.

He pulled at the envelope with a finger, tearing the seal, and opening the flap to pull out the small card. His lips curved up to form a grin as he scanned the letter. "Cid, you son of a bitch," he muttered, reaching over to press the com.

After a few seconds of static, the speaker screamed out with a familiar voice.

"What the hell do you want?!"

Reeve lowered his brow. "Yuffie, you don't have to scream at me every time I call you. You're probably the worst secretary I could ever—"

"Shut up! I'm _only_ doing this for the gil! And you promised it would only last for two more weeks!"

"Yes, yes," Reeve said, scratching his nose. "Or at least until I find a new one. Anyways, have you been able to get in touch with Vincent yet?"

He heard a sigh from the com. "He won't pick up the damn phone! I mean, it's almost like he's _avoiding_ any form of contact from me!

Reeve was about to speak out his thoughts, but restrained himself just in time. He sighed. "Well, I'm sure he's fine. You know Vincent. Vanishing into thin air the moment peace is restored." He let out a small laugh. "Anyways, I was just letting you know that the Highwinds just had their baby."

Yuffie screamed. "OH. MY. _GAWD!_ Is it a boy or a girl?! Huh?! Huh?!"

"Good Lord, Yuffie, settle down! You're deafening me over the speaker!"

"What _is_ it?!"

"It's a boy," Reeve stated, picking at his ear. "Shera says the neighbors think he has her eyes, but apparently Cid disagrees. 'Says he's got _pilot_ eyes."

"What the hell's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Reeve lowered his head. "Well…never mind. Has Barret returned to the rig? Or is he still with Tifa and them?"

"I think he's leaving next week. Still wants to spend more time with Marlene."

Reeve nodded, but something else was tugging at his mind.

"Hey Yuffie…"

"What?!"

"Is your offer for _wushu_ lessons still valid?"

There was a brief pause.

"Why?"

Reeve scratched his head, grinning slightly. "Oh, you know…just in case I run into another Neo Titan or something…"

-xXx-

Papers and files were stacked up on his desk, most of which were associated with the WRO Funds for the Midgar Restoration Project. Rufus scanned over them idly, tapping his black pen against the hard surface in boredom. He had decided to take part in Reeve's reparation funds, probably for the mere purpose of paying his gratitude to AVALANCHE. Nevertheless, Rufus found little satisfaction in wasting away his own savings.

The door slammed open, causing him to wince slightly. Rufus glared at the red-headed Turk.

"Can't you learn to knock?"

Reno grinned. "Ya got a letter, boss," he said, walking across the room and placing the envelope on the desk. Rufus stared at it blankly. Who would send _him_ a letter? Hesitantly, he picked it up, tugging at the seal and pulling out the small card.

"So, boss…about that raise we were talking about last week…"

Rufus rolled his eyes. "Yes, remind me to speak with Rude and Elena about their salaries later."

The Turk gaped at him in disbelief, jaw opened. He was about to say something, but stopped when Rufus started grinning, scanning his eyes over the small letter.

"How flattering," he muttered. "We've been invited to a wedding."

-xXx-

Tseng lowered his eyes, peering over the curved blade of the katana that was embedded into the soil. His brother's gravesite was out in an open field, where the trees bordered around the perimeter and the birds chirped merrily before launching out into the blue sky. It wasn't usually used for such purposes, but it was a place Tseng knew his brother would rest in peace.

"_I promised you I'd take you to Mideel," he said, his voice calm. "That's one promise I won't break."_

Tseng inhaled deeply, lowering his head and letting the wind brush gently against his long hair. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Just before he was about to turn to leave, he noticed the deep scratch that was carved over the engravings on the blade. His piercing gaze softened as he read over the new inscriptions.

It read _giya raemi. _

_A grudge forgotten._

-xXx-

Her feet landed with a loud thud. She made her way into the darkness, careful not to make any noise. Her hand was grasped over the crimson red sphere, her other one brushing against the cold surface of the stone wall. She knew this was where Que'd had been killed, though she couldn't have known that it was none other than Sephiroth who had ended his life. The chamber was cold, and the single torch flickered dimly from where one of the villagers replaced the old one. Rosianna could make out the faint glimmer of the Huge Materia from one of the far off exits. She quickened her pace, circling around the center pillar and stepping over the heaps of rocks and rubble. Her eye caught sight of a small pile of feathers on the far corner, but she walked on, disregarding the strange presence.

Que'd may have failed, having been betrayed by his own vengeance, but Rosianna was determined to carry out the plan, even if she was the only survivor from the team. She walked past the next corridor and grinned as the multi-colored light shone brighter as she approached it.

When she reached the end of the chamber, she only saw three large crystals placed on the stone floor. Reeve's files had said there were four, but in all honesty, Rosianna didn't care as long as the Blindsight materia reacted to one of them.

She knelt down, reaching out the sphere in her palm and placing it next to the watermelon-sized crystals that emitted blue, green and yellow glows.

Nothing happened.

She furrowed her brows, confused at the lack of a reaction. Why wasn't it working? The materia was supposed to get brighter! Why was nothing happening?!

She rose to her feet, cursing under her breath as she scanned her eyes on the far wall. There was a small rock next to one of the stone pillars, and it tickled at her mind. She approached it, biting her lower lip and hoping to God that it wasn't the last Huge Materia.

The surface of the small rock was cracked in webs, and she could see the faint red color of its interior. The last Huge Materia had been damaged, too much to react to the Blindsight materia.

In her rage, she flung the crimson sphere at the wall, only to see it bounce off and land abruptly on the stone floor.

She didn't even notice as the hand reached out across her face, clutching her by the jaw and yanking forcefully. Her neck made an unpleasant cracking noise as she limped to the floor, eyes still wide.

The last thing Rosianna ever saw was the grinning face of a silver haired man, and the enormous feathered wing that sprouted from his right shoulder blade.

**_-End-_**


End file.
